A Wife for Daryl?
by Tigre900
Summary: After having a conversation with Dwight about how it's going with breaking Daryl, Negan comes up with a new plan to achieve their goal. The result of this plan is a romance story between Daryl and an original female character.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"That's it. He's given us exactly the way to break him. This is going to be fun," Negan said and gave his characteristic sinister smile.

Dwight maintained a serious expression. He didn't know what Negan was planning, but he knew that smile meant that someone would be getting hurt. Negan took great pleasure in inflicting pain on others, and he showed it with that smile. Dwight had seen that smile too many times recently. He had hoped to escape with his family and never have to see it again, but they had failed. His sister-in-law had died, and he'd ended up burned, disfigured by Negan. To add insult to injury, Negan had taken Dwight's wife. Now, Dwight was Negan's right-hand man, doing what it took to survive in a world that no longer made any sense.

Dwight had been given the task of breaking Daryl Dixon. Daryl was part of another group that Negan had defeated. That group had caused a lot of trouble for Negan and killed many of his men. Now, they were paying the price for messing with the wrong man. Two of their people were brutally bludgeoned to death by Negan in a terrifying show of power that left the group's leader, Rick Grimes, a sad, broken man. The rest of the group had not fared much better, but for some reason, Daryl refused to bow to Negan, both figuratively and literally.

This wasn't Dwight's first encounter with Daryl. When they had first met in the woods, Daryl had rushed to help Dwight and his family. He had fought to protect them from Negan's men. Dwight wondered what made Daryl so fearless. Daryl threw himself into danger and faced it eye to eye. He didn't have anything at stake, but he risked everything to help a group of strangers. Dwight envied Daryl because he had something inside him that Dwight did not. Negan could see it, too. It gave Daryl power, even now.

 _Daryl laid naked on a cold, concrete floor in the dark. He starved except for a dogfood sandwich a day, and an obnoxious song blared loudly over the speakers in the room. It would play and repeat constantly, never giving Daryl a moment to rest or sit in silence. Days of this did not break Daryl. He had still refused to do what Negan wanted, and he had even tried to escape. The beating Daryl received had not broken him either._

Dwight had felt himself growing angrier and angrier at Daryl. He had taken Daryl's belongings: the crossbow, the motorcycle, and even the angel-winged jacket. Yet, Daryl behaved as if he had lost nothing. His friends had been brutally murdered in front of him, one of them because of Daryl's own defiance. Yet, when Negan asked him who he was, expecting him to succumb and say he was Negan, Daryl still raised his head in defiance, and declared that he was Daryl.

Daryl should have felt completely powerless and degraded. He should have been crying and pleading by now. No matter what Dwight said or did, Daryl would not break. Dwight had even thrown him a picture of his dead friend, smashed all to hell.

"Dwight. Did you hear what I said?"

He hadn't. He gave his head a quick shake.

"Get me that new girl we got in last week. I think it's time for her to start earning her keep."

* * *

Dwight walked toward the house where the new woman was kept. What had he missed when he'd slipped into his revere about Daryl? Why had Negan suddenly requested to have this woman brought to him? Dwight kicked himself for letting his thoughts wander while he'd been with Negan. That had been stupid and dangerous.

He arrived at the house and opened the door. The door led straight into a kitchen, which contained a small round table. A group of women sitting at the table turned startled faces toward him. A little boy, no more than three, ran and hugged one of the women.

"Where's Mirit?"

"She's upstairs," replied a young woman standing in the doorway to the living room of the house.

"Go get her."

* * *

Mirit had been talking to her little brother when Jana came and knocked on the door.

"You just have to trust me and do what I say, okay. I won't let anything happen to you. We only have each other," she'd said. Then, the heavy, quick knock had made her jump. She'd rushed over and opened the door.

"What is it?"

"Dwight is here. He said to come get you."

Mirit looked alarmed for a second and then caught herself. She didn't want her brother to get scared after she had just managed to calm him down. She put a smile on her face and turned to look at Val.

"Jana, can you watch my brother for me while I go talk to Dwight. I'm so glad he finally came to visit because I really want to talk to him," she said as she walked over to Valentino and put her hands on his shoulders. She guided Val to Jana and smiled when Jana replied.

"Of course. Val is such a help around the house, and I'm sure Justy will be happy to play with him."

Mirit could not keep the look of sadness from her face at the mention of the baby boy downstairs. Luckily, Val was standing in front of her looking at Jana. Mirit nodded and walked past the two of them. As she descended the stairs, she thought about what would happen to all of them in this place. Up until three weeks ago they had been living in small community several miles to the east. Mirit and her brother Valentino were the only members of their family to survive Negan's attack. Mirit's mother, her uncle George, and her baby cousin, Jacob, had all been killed. Mirit and Val had made a run for it, but Negan's men had finally caught them and brought them to this place.

Justy was about the same age Jacob had been, and he looked so much like Val had at that age. Seeing the boy made the raw pain of loss smolder inside her, and it also made Mirit remember the days before this horror of a world, days when Val ran and played innocent and free. Now, his survival depended on Mirit. She had to protect what was left of her family.

* * *

Daryl sat next to a pile of dried vomit with his legs up, his arms crossed on his knees. He put his head down on his crossed arms and closed his eyes, trying to tune out the relentlessly cheerful music blasting into him. He felt it vibrating his bones and grit his teeth. Daryl wondered why they didn't just kill him. Supposedly, those who defied Negan would be put to death. Yet, here he sat. Why? Why had Glenn been killed in his place? What kept them from killing Daryl? Nothing made any sense.

Suddenly, the music stopped. Daryl heard the door opening and squinted to look in that direction, preparing for the sting of light. He expected to see Dwight standing there with a dogfood sandwich. Instead, he made out the silhouette of a woman. At first, Daryl thought that Dwight's wife had come to see him again to warn him to do what they said. Then, the woman spoke. He had never heard her voice before.

"Your name is Daryl?"

"Who're you?"

"I'm Mirit. I'm here to get you."

"Get me?"

"You are to take a bath."

"I ain't takin' no bath."

Mirit bent close to Daryl's ear and whispered to him urgently.

"Please. If you don't come with me, they'll kill me. My family needs me. Please, Daryl."

Shock coursed through Daryl, chilling him. So this was the new game they were playing. Daryl didn't know this woman. She didn't mean anything to him, but what if she was telling the truth? What if she had a family that needed her, and her life depended on what Daryl did or did not do? He could still say no. Would they really kill her? And if they did, would they stop there? How many people would die because of Daryl?

Part of him did not want to believe her, but the way her voice trembled let him know that she was truly afraid. He stood up. The woman rose with him, putting her hand out in case he needed help standing. He didn't. He followed her into the light of the hallway. As Daryl's eyes adjusted, he could see that the woman was alone. She stood several inches shorter than him. He could easily overcome her and make a run for it. Or, he could try to take her with him so they wouldn't kill her. No, she had a family that was depending on her. They could easily kill her family if she fled.

Mirit led Daryl to a door and pushed it open. Daryl walked in and looked around the room. There was an old hot tub in the center of the room, like a tiny swimming pool built into the floor. A bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo sat at the edge of the hot tub.

"You were serious."

"What?"

"They want me to take a bath."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't know. They said that you seem too comfortable in your own filth."

Daryl winced. The statement was accurate.

"Fine. You can go. I'll take a bath."

"I can't leave."

"Whatever."

Daryl stripped off the outfit they had finally given him after days of naked torture had failed to break him.

Mirit blushed and turned away, unprepared for Daryl's sudden disrobing.

She pulled the string that tied the halter top of her dress in place, and let it fall to the floor.

Daryl had started walking to the hot tub stairs when he saw Mirit drop her dress in his peripheral vision. He turned to face her completely naked body.

"What is this?"

Mirit covered herself with her hands and avoided looking at Daryl.

"I have to be in there with you."

"What?"

"I'm supposed to be in there . . ."

"You're trying to seduce me."

"No!" Mirit exclaimed, alarmed. She rushed past Daryl and got into the water. "I just have to be sure you actually take a bath, and I have to be in here."

Daryl looked at her incredulously. He felt like taking the outfit and leaving her there in the hot tub. The sick game Negan was playing had gone too far. Did he really think that sending a woman to seduce him would win him over?

Daryl examined the woman in the hot tub. She had not looked up at him once. She held her hands over her breasts, and she stood at the edge of the hot tub, away from the stairs. She seemed to be shivering. Daryl walked toward the stairs of the hot tub and put his toe in the water. The water was hot. Maybe Negan had sent this woman to seduce him, but she did not appear to be one of the brainwashed followers who would do anything for Negan. Perhaps she was telling the truth.

"Just stay over there," he said as he entered the tub.

Mirit looked at Daryl's face. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. "You're not going to hurt me?"

"No."

Daryl turned angrily to the soap and took it. He scrubbed his face, arms, and neck with it. Then, he rinsed and began to walk toward the stairs.

For an instant, Mirit forgot that she was in a dangerous position with a man she didn't know. She reached out and placed her hand on Daryl's chest as he passed by her, making his way toward the stairs. He stopped and stared down at her hand. She held him there and reached for the bottle of shampoo with the other hand. Then, she took her hand off Daryl's chest and poured some shampoo into it. She replaced the bottle on the edge of the tub and lathered the shampoo in both hands. She began to massage Daryl's scalp clean with the shampoo.

Daryl had been paralyzed by the woman's hand, and when she took it away he began to come to his senses. He had not expected her to stop him or move near him. She had appeared to be afraid of him. Now, she was washing his hair. He turned slowly to face her, and her breast bumped into his back. Daryl's breath caught in his nose, and then he let it out in a quick shallow breath. He felt a sudden dizziness.

Mirit immediately pulled back from the man, blushing deeply as he turned to look her in the eyes.

"I thought you said you _weren't_ here to seduce me."

"I'm . . . not . . ."

"Well you're doing a lousy job."

Daryl closed his eyes and washed his hair with the shampoo Mirit had put on it. He rinsed it off and got out of the tub. Then, he grabbed the outfit to put it back on.

"No. The robe," Mirit said as she followed him out of the tub.

She grabbed two robes and handed one to Daryl. Then, she quickly put on the other one.

Daryl put on his robe and began to walk toward the door.

Just then, Negan entered the room. He smiled broadly at Daryl and Mirit.

"So, I see that something _does_ get to you, after all," Negan said as he looked pointedly at Daryl.

Daryl clenched his jaw and stared back at Negan.

Mirit looked down to the floor, afraid to look up.

"Go ahead and take her. You obviously want her. I don't blame you. She's pretty hot. Might want her myself if I wasn't a married man," Negan said and winked.

Daryl glared at him.

"No? Okay, sweetheart. Get going. It's time for the men to talk."

Mirit didn't wait. She hurried out of the room.

"It's okay. If you don't want her, someone else will. Maybe old Brutus. That's not his real name, but it fits him better. He just went through wife number two. He likes it too rough. Her body was a real mess. Thought about punishing him for a while by making him stay single, but he's been working hard for me lately."

"What?"

"Think about it. Might not be as bad as you'd think, having a wife."

* * *

Grinning the entire way, Negan led Daryl back to his room in a stunned silence. After leaving Daryl there he laughed to himself and said, "Gott'em."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Mirit ran back to the house. The women had looked alarmed when Mirit rushed in and ran up to her room in nothing but a bathrobe. Luckily, her little brother had been outside playing with the baby. Mirit heard them laughing outside the window. She looked out and saw that Val was pretending to be a monster, chasing Justy. The baby giggled and ran.

The knock at the door was more subdued than the last time Jana had knocked.

Mirit walked over and opened the door.

"What happened," Jana asked, her face worried and pale.

"I don't know how we are going to make it here. We aren't people anymore, Jana."

"What?"

"We're things."

"Mirit . . . it's not that bad. I mean, some of us have it worse than others. I was lucky. My husband was smart. He played along right away, does whatever Negan says. As long as you stay on his good side . . ."

"His _good_ side? There's no such thing. The man is evil. Pure and simple."

"Did he give you to one of his men? Which one? My husband can talk to him so he won't treat you too badly. . . . It wasn't Brutus?"

"Brutus? No."

"Thank God. That man's already killed two wives."

Mirit felt herself growing unsteady and had to sit on her bed. She thought about what had just happened. When she had gone to see Negan, he had told her that she had to earn her keep and Val's. Since it cost a lot to care for two people, she would be required to put in a lot of _effort_. He had been grinning at her the whole time. Then, he had looked her up and down and said that she looked like she could get good mileage, so she shouldn't worry too much.

"So what's his name?"

"Daryl, but I don't think he's one of Negan's men."

"He offered you to _Daryl_? Wow, that's interesting. I wonder how Dwight feels about that."

"Dwight wasn't there when it happened. He had already left."

"Tell me what happened."

Mirit shuddered, remembering her conversation with Negan. He had told her that she had to serve him faithfully and without question and he would spare her the more unpleasant jobs. Then, he had ordered her to bathe one of the prisoners. She had been shocked, thinking that this task was not counted among "the more unpleasant tasks." Negan had given her explicit directions to get the prisoner, transport him to the bath, get in there with him, and actually bathe him if necessary.

 _"But . . . what if he . . ."_

 _"You'll let him do whatever he wants to as long as he comes out of that tub clean. If not, well, I don't have any use for people who can't follow simple directions."_

 _"But . . . my brother," she had regretted the words as soon as they were spoken._

 _"Oh, yeah. Guess he'll just have to fend for himself. I guess there might be some of my guys who're into that sort of thing."_

 _"Oh my God."_

 _Mirit had been horrified to think that they would hurt her nine-year-old brother._

 _Negan had walked her to the cell door and told her to take Daryl to the hot tub room, which he had showed her on the way to get Daryl._

 _"Tell Daryl he needs to take a bath. The man stinks, and it's downright disturbing how comfortable he is in his own filth."_

"And so now you're Daryl's wife?"

"What? No. I don't think so."

"No? Did Negan offer you to him or not?"

"Yes. . . ."

"Well there will have to be a ceremony, but that's just a formality. Negan likes to pretend like he's a moral type of guy from time to time."

"But . . ."

"He didn't hurt you too much, right? Sherry said he was a good guy. Apparently, he tried to help her and Dwight escape."

"What? They tried to escape?"

"Yeah, and now look at them. Don't entertain the thought, Mirit. They would hunt you down, and you wouldn't be as lucky as they were."

"And Daryl tried to help them?"

"That's what she said. Only they robbed him and left him to be killed by Negan and his men."

"This just keeps getting stranger."

"Yeah. There are worse men to end up with, but if he doesn't wisen up and start behaving, he could get you all killed. Anyway, I'll leave you alone now so you can get dressed."

With that, Jana left the room, closing the door behind her.

Mirit sat, thinking about what Jana had said. Daryl hadn't hurt her at all. In fact, he hadn't touched her. When Negan had offered Mirit to him, he had refused. This man had stood up to Negan, and he had tried to help Dwight and Sherry. Mirit's head spun with these revelations.

The music stopped, and the door opened. Daryl looked up and saw Mirit standing in the doorway.

"I washed your outfit for you," she said and bent down to hand it to Daryl.

Daryl took it from her and began changing out of the bathrobe. Mirit blushed and looked away. The man certainly had no modesty. Then again, he had been locked in this cell for Lord knew how long.

Dwight had come to get Mirit that morning to tell her that she would now be responsible for caring for the prisoner. Negan had decided that if torture wasn't going to break Daryl, then maybe showing him what he was missing would.

Mirit had been instructed to clean the outfit and return it to Daryl. She had also been shown where to find the dogfood and stale bread for his daily sandwich. Dwight had then taken her aside and said, "He needs to start doing what Negan wants, otherwise you're as good as dead."

Mirit remembered how Daryl had initially reacted to her when she had come to take him for a bath. He had refused even that, which she would have thought he would accept gratefully given his circumstances. Even though her pleading with him had worked that time, she felt that it would be useless to try to get Daryl to give in to Negan on her behalf. Instead, she focused on trying to help him as much as she could while she was there. If it came down to it, maybe he could help her and Val to get out of this place.

Mirit looked up at Daryl and found him fully dressed and staring at her. She was sure several seconds had passed since he'd finished dressing while she'd been lost in thought. However, she was also acutely aware that he was not just staring at her out of curiosity. Negan had sent her a variety of outfits she was to wear while caring for the prisoner. The first one was a risqué, black and white French maid's outfit. The corset pushed her breasts up so high, she felt like they would jump up and slap her in the face. If she were to bend over, her underwear would be in full view to anyone standing behind her.

"What the hell?"

"I brought you some food," she said, ignoring the question and reached into a bag she had tied to her wrist.

Daryl waited as she opened the bag and pulled out a fresh chicken sandwich. He gaped at it in disbelief. Tentatively, he reached for the sandwich, expecting her to pull it away or disappear. He suddenly wasn't sure he wasn't dreaming.

Mirit took his unsteady hand and held it, placing the sandwich onto his palm.

"It's okay. I snuck this in for you. A human being shouldn't have to eat dogfood."

Quickly, Daryl ate the sandwich. He barely chewed the food, but savored every bite.

Then, Mirit took out a bottle of water.

Daryl's whole body shook, and he took the water and gulped it down. They had been giving him only eight ounces of water every twelve hours. Mirit had brought him a full 16.9-ounce bottle, and it was cold.

Mirit looked at herself in the mirror and adjusted the old-fashioned nurse's cap on her head, pinning it in place with bobby pins. _I can't believe I have to wear this,_ she thought for the fifth time that week. Negan had sent her a variety of outfits to wear every day, and it had become a great joke for all of the other women in the house. They had even set up a pool to guess which outfit she'd wear next. So far, she'd worn the French maid, the pirate wench, the school uniform, and the nun outfit. Now, she wore a short, white nurse's uniform.

 _Where did he even find all these,_ Mirit thought.

Negan had a sick sense of humor. The costumes were meant to tease Daryl, to make him regret his decision not to give in to Negan's will. He probably chose the outfits thinking that one of them would eventually appeal enough to Daryl to finally make him crack.

However, Daryl never reacted to Mirit when she would go see him beyond the occasional stare and gulping down the food she smuggled in for him. He hadn't asked about the outfits after that first day.

Mirit wondered what he was thinking about, alone in that dark room all day and night. She would go to see him at noon every day. She couldn't imagine what he must be feeling locked in there with that horrible music.

At first, she hadn't minded it, but having heard it every day for a week as she entered and left that place, had made her hate it. The only time the music would be turned off was during her visits.

Mirit walked with her bag tucked under her arm. She looked around and saw some people walking and talking together. They turned to look at her outfit and started to laugh uncontrollably.

"Oh! Get a load of that!" one said and laughed.

The other one just started laughing without saying a word.

Mirit walked faster and entered the room. She walked quickly to the cd player and turned off the music. Then, she walked to Daryl's door and unlocked it.

Daryl looked up at her and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light. When he saw Mirit wearing an old-fashioned nurse's uniform, he almost smiled. Every day she had come to see him with a crazy outfit. The day before, he had had to look down and put his hand over his mouth in a fake cough to hide his smile. The nun outfit had gotten to him.

In the midst of the torture and horror, it seemed absurd that this woman would be here dressed like she was. He had pretended like he hadn't noticed anything strange after the first day, but finally he couldn't keep from commenting on it.

"Really?"

"What?"

"What did you bring today, Nurse Ratchet?"

"Oh."

Daryl couldn't keep the smile from making a fleeting appearance on his face.

Mirit didn't miss it. For some reason, it made her heart jump inside her chest. Perhaps it was the shock of seeing that expression on Daryl's face, even so briefly.

To hide her reaction, she pulled the bag out and opened it. Today, she had bought him a meatloaf sandwich and a bunch of grapes. She was getting bolder, bringing him the fruit. The sandwich was expected to be dogfood, but it clearly looked like a sandwich. She had hidden the loose grapes in the bag with the sandwich, but if anyone had inspected the bag, the grapes would be noticeable.

Daryl couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the grapes. Suddenly, he looked angrily at Mirit.

"Don't do this," he said gruffly.

"What?"

"Do they know you are bringing me this food?"

"No."

"You said you have a family, right?"

"Yes."

"Why are you risking this?"

"The grapes?"

"And the sandwich. I'll eat the dogfood."

"It isn't right."

"What does it matter? Your family is important to you, right?"

"Yes."

"Bring the dogfood next time. You can't play with these guys."

"You mean like you?"

"What?"

"You aren't following your own advice."

"I don't have anything to lose."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll bring the dogfood next time, but you better get rid of this evidence for now."

Daryl ate quickly and quietly, thinking about what Mirit had asked him. He hadn't been completely honest. He had his life to lose, but part of him felt like maybe he deserved it if it came down to that. What right did he have to live when he had caused his friend to be murdered? Still, he did have a strong survival instinct, and the guilt was wearing thin. Daryl knew he had to get out of here if he could. At the end of the day it made more sense for him to keep living. What did his own death add to Glenn's but more tragedy? Alive, maybe he could make a difference.

After Daryl finished eating, he was surprised when Mirit didn't leave right away. In fact, she sat down next to him on the floor, where the vomit had been until she had come and scrubbed it clean a few days before. She looked earnestly at him for a full minute.

"What?"

"You know, someone told me that you once tried to help Dwight and Sherry."

"Yeah? Who said that?"

"Sherry."

"You a friend of hers?"

"No."

"Well neither am I."

"What is it that Negan wants you to do?"

"What?"

"What is he telling you to do?"

"Why? You goin' to tell me to just listen like Dwight and Sherry?"

"No. I was just wondering what it was. It must be pretty terrible. He makes people do awful things."

"Like dressing up?"

Mirit smiled.

"Yeah," she said. "And bathing strange men," she mumbled under her breath.

Daryl barely heard it, but instantly he was struck by the memory of that day. He felt himself stop breathing for a few seconds, then looked away from her face and forced himself to breathe normally.

"You should go. They probably wouldn't like to walk in and see you talking to me like this."

"You're probably right."

Mirit stood and left the room, closing the door behind her. She walked toward the cd player to resume the music, then stopped. She looked back at the door to Daryl's cell. Then, she turned and walked toward the exit.

Daryl woke suddenly to the loud blaring music. He hadn't known how long he'd actually slept in the blissful quiet that followed Mirit's visit, but he had been drifting in and out of sleep for what seemed like several hours. He wondered if she had forgotten to turn the music back on before leaving and thought that it would be strange if she had.

As the music played, Daryl found his thoughts wandering back to Mirit despite his efforts to think about anything else. Previously, he had been able to clear his head and just block out the music by thinking about how and when he would escape. Now, every time he tried to think about escaping, Mirit would pop into his mind in one of her crazy outfits, or worse, in none of them.

If he tried to escape, would they kill her and her family? Daryl believed they had threatened to do so, and he knew Negan was sadistic enough to do it. So, if Daryl escaped, Mirit would have to go with him. So would her family. But Daryl didn't know anything about them. How many were there? How old were they? Was she married? The thoughts were worse than the music.

Mirit lay on her stomach and let the tears flow down her face. The deep welts on the tender skin of her butt bled slightly despite the ointment Jana and the others had prepared and slathered on her wounds. Negan had had her whipped fifteen times on the butt for leaving the radio off in Daryl's cell.

"Can't follow simple directions. You're lucky I'm in a forgiving mood today," Negan had said.

He'd also said that she would have to stay home and heal for a few days. He had almost seemed to feel sorry for her after the whipping was over, saying that he would give her another chance once she felt better. However, this would be her only warning. From now on, she had to follow directions perfectly.

Mirit thought about what Daryl had said to her. He'd been right. Mirit had taken too many chances. If Negan had discovered any of the things she had been doing to help Daryl, she could be dead just that fast, or worse, he could hurt Val. The man was insane. She couldn't take any more risks.

Mirit's wounds had started to heal, but still hurt when there was any kind of pressure applied to them. This included any kind of pants and even underwear. She had been walking around in a loose-fitting nightgown for several days.

However, today, Negan insisted that she must return to her prisoner-watching duties. Negan had even picked out the outfit she had to wear. The tight, red dress was soft and slinky. It was reminiscent of a dress worn by a cartoon character Mirit had once seen in an old movie. The character had bright red hair and lipstick to match her dress. Mirit also put on bright red lipstick. The effect on her features was startling. Her face looked more exotic and striking with bright red lips.

The music stopped. The door opened. Daryl had gotten used to seeing Dwight again. He had been grateful that Dwight no longer talked to him but only handed him the food and waited for him to eat it.

Daryl's eyes adjusted to the light, and he reached for his dogfood sandwich. Only it wasn't Dwight who handed it to him. Mirit's soft fingers brushed against Daryl's wrist as she placed the sandwich in his hand. Daryl stared at her.

"Like old times. Me handing you a sandwich, you staring at me," Mirit joked.

Daryl dropped the sandwich and stood up. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then he grabbed Mirit and hugged her.

"I thought you were dead."

Mirit froze in Daryl's grasp. She had not expected him to react this way.

Daryl released her suddenly, aware of the awkwardness of the situation.

"Sorry. I thought you were dead," he repeated, looking confused.

"I'm fine. I wasn't feeling well."

"You left the radio off. I thought they killed you."

A thought struck Mirit suddenly, and she verbalized it, "You were worried about me."

"You were sick?" Daryl asked, still disoriented.

"Um . . . sort of."

"Tell me. What happened?"

"I was whipped."

"Whipped?"

Mirit blushed and instinctively put her hands behind her back. Without touching her butt, she almost caressed the air around it.

Before she knew what was happening, Daryl took her by the shoulder and spun her around. He lifted the back of her dress gently but quickly and looked at the damage.

Mirit opened her mouth to say something, but she was paralyzed. Her body had frozen the instant he'd touched her, and now she could only stand there, embarrassed.

Daryl gently lowered her dress.

"I'm sorry."

Mirit turned to face him.

"It's not your fault. You tried to warn me."

"Not soon enough."

"I'll live."

Just then, Negan and Dwight entered the hallway outside Daryl's room. They had seen Mirit enter and waited a few minutes before following her in.

"Aw, isn't this adorable," Negan said. "Aren't you just a precious little bunny?"

Mirit stiffened.

"Dwight, take her outside and tell her the good news."

Dwight motioned for Mirit to follow him, and she did. The two left.

"Well, Daryl. Time's up. So what'll it be?"

"What?"

"Today is the lady's wedding day. Who's going to be the lucky man? Better make up your mind quickly. Brutus is almost desperate to get hitched again."

Daryl glared at Negan. "Fine. I'll do what you say," he replied.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I should be a matchmaker," Negan said and grinned.

"How did you know he would say yes?"

"You kidding? I bet he ain't been laid in years."

"He does seem like a loner."

"No kidding? What gave you the clue?"

"I never saw him with anybody. He was always alone."

"Well, he flat out told you you had someone to take shit for, but he didn't. Now he does."

"You sure it'll work out between those two?"

"I don't give a shit as long as he's followin' my orders."

"I still can't believe he said yes. What's so special about her? He doesn't even know her."

"Oh, she's special alright. You remember that day she got whipped?"

"Yeah."

Negan told Dwight what had happened when he'd talked to Mirit after she'd been whipped.

 _He had asked her, "What made you think that you could just **not** follow orders and get away with it? Weren't you listening when I said that could get you killed?"_

 _"I . . . was following . . . orders . . ." Mirit said between gasps._

 _She lay in a crumpled heap on her knees. They had tied her hands together, and her bare butt was covered in whip marks._

 _"You were told to turn the radio on before leaving. You were told to feed the prisoner dogfood. Don't think I didn't know. I just wanted to see how long you'd think you could get away with it."_

 _"When . . . you made me . . . wear those outfits . . . you . . . said . . . to . . . show him what . . . he was missing. Do you really think . . . he was just missing sex?"_

 _Negan bent down and took her chin in his hand. He raised her head, so that her eyes looked into his. He smiled._

 _"Go on," he said._

 _Mirit took a deep breath, and steadied her voice, "He was missing good food. He was missing quiet, and most of all, he was missing human decency."_

 _Negan's laugh boomed through the air._

 _"And you gave him all that, but at a **cost**. For future reference, you follow my directions the way I say them. They aren't open for interpretation."_

 _"Yes, sir," Mirit said and dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry."_

 _"You bet you are."_

Negan laughed at the memory.

"Bitch had a point. Daryl associated her with all the good shit. How could he say no?"

"He did look especially shocked to see me that day I started giving him the dogfood again."

"He didn't ask about her?"

"No."

"You should have seen him when I said he had to make the choice today. He jumped all over it. Couldn't stand the thought of Brutus tappin' that and not him. How'd she take the good news?"

"She didn't say anything. She looked worried when I told her she could be marrying Brutus."

Negan laughed again, "He's going to shit a brick when he finds out he's not getting hitched. Let's go get the ceremony started."

* * *

Mirit trembled as Dwight walked her to the main building. She was glad that the veil hid her face. Daryl would not break and listen to Negan. She couldn't have done anything to make that happen. That meant that she would be marrying Brutus, and it was only a matter of time before they found her straggled body after a night of his unchecked passion. At least, that was what Jana had said.

Jana was an amazing person to Mirit. She had the ability to blend in with any group, like a chameleon. She had fit right in with the small community Mirit had been a part of, and now she had befriended Dwight's wife, Sherry. That fact scared Mirit a little. She had thought she knew Jana, but this new group was ruthless. How could a good person ever fit in here? Her husband also seemed to fit in with this group.

Mirit didn't know who to trust. It didn't seem possible to escape from the Saviors. Alone, with a nine-year-old boy, it was hard enough to survive the dead. The Saviors were relentless hunters. Even though Mirit had run away with Val unseen, they had discovered that they were missing. Someone had to have let them know that they had fled. The thought sat in Mirit's mind for only a moment before it was pushed out by blinding fear.

As they entered the building and walked down the hallway, she could feel herself shaking uncontrollably.

"Aw, is the bride getting cold feet?" Dwight teased.

Mirit did not respond. She closed her eyes tight and let Dwight lead her. Somehow, she had to think of a way out of this, but no solution would come.

Then, she had stopped. She felt herself standing next to someone. A man began to speak incoherently in front of them. Mirit thought she would faint. She felt dizzy and gasped for air under her veil. It wasn't until she heard her own name that the world seemed to come back into sharp clarity.

"And do you, Mirit, take Daryl Dixon, to be your lawfully wedding husband?"

Mirit's eyes strained to see through the veil for a second before she lifted her hands to move it out of the way. She turned to the man next to her and saw Daryl standing there.

"Yes, I do," she said unhesitating.

Relief flooded her entire body, and she felt herself go limp. Daryl put his hand out and steadied her.

"You may kiss the bride," the Justice said.

Daryl pulled her toward him and looked into her eyes. There was an awkward pause as the two stood there looking at each other.

"Go on!" shouted Negan.

Startled, they pressed their lips to each other's in a closed kiss.

"What the hell kind of kiss is that! I can show you how it's done," Negan said and began walking toward them.

Terrified, Mirit opened her mouth and deepened the kiss with Daryl.

Negan stopped and applauded, "That's more like it!"

After breaking the kiss, Mirit noticed that there weren't that many people present. The women from the house where Mirit had been staying were not there, only some of Negan's men.

"Alright! Time to make it official!"

"Right, sign right here," the Justice said, handing Daryl a pen.

Daryl signed his name, and then handed the pen to Mirit. As she signed her name, Negan said, "That's not what I meant."

Then, the two were ushered out of the room and to a door. They were practically pushed into another room, and the door closed behind them. Inside the room, there was a large bed.

"Are you okay?" Daryl asked.

"Thank God," Mirit said and hugged Daryl.

He stood for a moment, not returning the hug. Then, he raised his hand and patted her back reassuringly.

"This must be really terrifying for you. Is your family okay?"

"Val is okay. I saw him before I left to come here."

"Val?"

"My little brother. He's with Jana. She's a woman from my old community. She has a baby boy."

Thinking about Jana had brought back a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety. Mirit realized that she was telling Daryl about Jana's past more to reassure herself than to inform him.

"So you have a brother, a neighbor, and her baby? Is that all your family?"

Daryl's heart sank at the news that there was a baby involved. It had been wonderful having Judith in their family, but a baby was very hard to take care of in this world.

"No. I mean, yes. But Val is my family. The neighbor and her baby are just acquaintances."

"How old is he?"

"Nine."

The news was a little better. Carl had been a young boy when he had met him, and he had learned how to survive. Then again, there were other children that had not been as lucky. Still, if they were ever to escape, a nine-year-old had a better chance of survival than a baby.

"Good."

"Good?"

"I mean, it's good that he's okay."

"Yeah," Mirit said, unsure.

"I'm not going to do anything to you, Mirit."

Mirit seemed startled by the idea and said, "What do you mean?"

"You can take the bed. I'm good on the floor."

For the first time, Mirit thought about where they were, and the fact that she was now a married woman.

"They expect us to . . ." she said, coming to the realization of the situation and getting embarrassed.

"Well they can hold their breath."

Mirit looked at Daryl. He was still wearing the outfit with the letter "A" on it, even though Negan had had her dressed in a wedding gown. His face was swollen and bruised. She had noticed the bruises when she had met him, but the light in the cell had been bad. She hadn't been able to see how hurt he'd been. No wonder the bruises were taking so long to heal.

Daryl walked over to the bed and took a sheet and a pillow. Mirit walked up to him and held her hand to his cheek.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," she said.

Daryl shrugged and walked away from her. He placed the sheet and pillow at the far side of the room.

"I'll live."

Mirit remembered the exchange they'd had in the cell before she'd been whisked away to get ready for the wedding.

"I didn't think you would do it."

"What?"

"Marry me. . . . Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said and laid on the floor.

Daryl closed his eyes and sighed. Mirit looked at him for a moment before she walked over to him. She knelt down next to him and said, "You must be exhausted. You don't have to sleep on the floor."

Mirit placed her hand on Daryl's shoulder, but he did not respond. He had gone to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, some men came in and dragged Daryl out of the room. Mirit had been sleeping when they entered. She was laying on her stomach, still wearing the wedding dress. Daryl had been startled awake by their sudden and loud entrance. Mirit had also awoken suddenly, and looked disorientedly in Daryl's direction. She saw the men lift him to his feet and drag him stumbling out.

"Hey! Where are you going!" Mirit said, as she leapt from the bed and followed them.

"Damn waste," one of the men said.

"Yeah. I have a good mind to take her back in there and give her a proper wedding night right now."

"It's already day, and Negan's waiting."

"Maybe later."

At the mention of Negan's name, Mirit froze in her steps.

"I can walk on my own," Daryl said and shrugged off the grasp of the two men.

They released him, but walked closely with him as they left the building.

Negan dismissed the other two men and talked to Daryl alone.

"What the hell happened?"

"Whatya mean?"

"You slept on the _floor?_ What are you impotent?"

"No."

"If you can't consummate the marriage, I can take her on myself. I know how to take care of my wives."

Daryl glared at Negan.

"She's injured."

Negan made an "o" with his mouth.

"You mean the whipping. Isn't she healed already?"

"No."

Negan made a guilty expression for a second and then smiled.

"Well, I guess I can understand that. Though if you were half the man I am, you would have made her forget the pain," he said.

Then, Negan grinned, and said, "Fine. You can give her another day to heal. I have a mission for you anyway."

"What?"

"We're going to pay your old friends a visit. Time for them to hand over half their shit. One thing, though. You'll go, and you'll be my pack mule. You won't talk to them. You won't look at them. You'll just carry my shit for me, understood?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Daryl sat in the truck and thought about what had happened. The last thing he had expected was to become a married man. The absurdity of his situation struck him. He was returning to Alexandria, where all his friends had been returned after the brutal show of force by Negan. He had been tortured in a cell, and now he was married. He wondered what his friends would say if they knew. Daryl had always been alone. He had preferred it that way. Now he had a responsibility. Everything he did would impact his new family, just like Glenn had been impacted by his actions. Nothing would ever be the same.

Daryl thought about the wedding. He had watched Dwight guide Mirit into the room. She looked very unsteady. He remembered having to steady her when she'd taken the veil off and looked at him. She must have been terrified. She would have had to marry Brutus if Daryl didn't accept the matrimony. After she had been whipped just because she wanted to help him, Daryl couldn't let her be killed, too. She seemed so different and out of place in Negan's camp. He wondered what had happened to her. Had Negan bludgeoned someone she loved to death in front of her?

As they arrived at the gate, Daryl felt a flood of emotions. He watched as Negan taunted Rick, but he avoided looking at any of his friends directly. Instead, he followed Negan's directions exactly. He stayed quiet and carried things out onto the trucks. When Rick had asked for Daryl to stay, he had felt a pang of longing to be free. Then, he had felt the heavy weight of the responsibility he had taken on by marrying Mirit. Negan teased him, asking him to convince him to let him stay in his previous home. He knew that Daryl would not say anything.

As they drove away, Daryl sat in silence. Suddenly, the trucks stopped. Negan got out and directed some men to pile the mattresses they'd taken from Alexandria onto the side of the road. Daryl watched in disbelief as they lit the mattresses on fire. Negan laughed, and they got back on the truck. As they drove away, Daryl watched the mattresses burn. He couldn't help but think of his friends sleeping on the floor in their homes. Then, he thought about having slept on the floor the night before. He was reminded of his promise to Mirit. He had said he wouldn't do anything to her. Yet, if he kept that promise, Negan had as good as promised to do it for him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As they drove to the Sanctuary, Negan thought about Rick and the others in Alexandria. There was still work to do with that group, but he was pleased with the way the day had turned out. The group in Alexandria had gotten a few lucky hits in, and the deaths of those men had been a blow to the Saviors. Now, the residents of Alexandria would have to serve in their place. The people in that group would make a good addition to the Saviors. They had been used to fighting and surviving; they were strong, and some were even likeable. Unfortunately, their strength also meant that they had had unrealistic views on their ability to survive with Negan and the Saviors as enemies. Now, they were starting to understand their place.

Negan wanted to control everyone completely. He did that by threatening the ones they loved. He had proved that he would not hesitate to kill anyone if he was defied. Negan had done this again and again. He would even take pictures of his victims. However, that wasn't always enough. Sometimes you had to break their spirit, too. Burning the mattresses was one small step in that direction, and humbling Rick in front of everyone had been a big one.

Negan smiled at the memory and walked toward the truck containing the single mattress he had kept from Alexandria. He directed one of his men on what to do with it, and then he walked toward the Sanctuary to check on things there.

* * *

When they reached the Sanctuary, Daryl helped unpack what was left of the supplies they had taken from Alexandria. As he carried the weapons to the armory, he remembered what had happened in Alexandria. Daryl had wanted to stay, but he knew that wasn't what Negan wanted. At the end of the day, Negan was going to get what he wanted.

Daryl thought about Dwight and Sherry. He had not understood why they had turned on him and gone back to the group they had been running from. When he finally saw Dwight again, his faced scarred with burns, Daryl had been surprised. Now, Daryl knew the whole story. Negan himself had told him. Dwight had been burned instead of killed because his wife, Sherry, had sacrificed herself and become Negan's wife in place of her dead sister.

Negan would use Daryl's marriage to Mirit the same way he had used Dwight and Sherry's marriage. He would continue to manipulate and force them to do what he wanted them to. Even the marriage itself had been manipulated by Negan.

Mirit had married Daryl because she had a little brother to protect. Daryl had married Mirit because he did not want her to be killed. Still, how safe were Mirit and her brother really? With Daryl as a husband, Mirit would always be used as leverage.

However, the alternative had been much worse. She would have been married to a man that had killed his previous wives, brutally according to Negan. Daryl could not stand the thought of Mirit dying that way.

He was surprised by the intensity of his emotions as they surged up inside him. He barely knew Mirit, but the woman had been kind to him at her own risk. Whenever he thought about the time she had spent with him in that torture cell, he couldn't help but feel a connection to her.

While he'd been imprisoned in the cell, Daryl had had a lot of time to think about it, particularly when Mirit had stopped coming to see him. He'd thought her to be dead, but he wouldn't let himself stop hoping that she wasn't. More importantly, he wouldn't let anyone see that he was worried.

Negan was sadistic. He enjoyed seeing people uncomfortable and in pain. Showing any emotion would just give Negan more power. The more a person cared, the more he'd be willing to do to keep Negan from hurting the ones he loved.

Daryl didn't want to give Negan anymore power, but he couldn't keep himself from caring about other people. It was part of who he was. That was why it had always been easier to be alone. Daryl kept his distance and always chose to leave the group on long missions. His only reason wasn't to be helpful. He needed to keep himself from getting too close and caring too much.

Mirit had been afraid when Daryl met her. She had pleaded with him, and that had been enough to get Daryl to start doing what Negan wanted. Still, it wasn't enough for Negan. Now, he was trying to force Daryl to really be Mirit's husband. He wanted Daryl to be willing to do anything to protect her. However, Negan himself had shown interest in Mirit. He wasn't threatening to take her and give her to Brutus anymore. Now, he was saying that _he_ would take her. Perhaps Negan had wanted to make Daryl jealous.

Daryl didn't know how he felt about it. He didn't allow himself to think about his feelings. What he did know was that he and Mirit had been forced into the marriage by Negan. Also, if Negan took Mirit, she would be safer than she was now.

Daryl doubted that anyone would hurt Negan's wives. Sherry had not looked mistreated. She had looked sad and expressed remorse for what had happened in the woods, but otherwise she had been fine. Maybe Negan had even sent her to try to convince Daryl to listen to him.

Daryl couldn't help but distrust Negan's people, especially after what happened with Dwight and Sherry. He had suspected Mirit, too. In his gut, though, he'd come to feel that Mirit was not one of them. Still, if she hadn't married Daryl, she had had only one other option available to her, and that had been no real option at all. Mirit was trying to survive, and Negan would have been the best choice to keep her alive. If Negan presented that option to her, she may take it gratefully.

* * *

Mirit spent the day fixing up the habitation she and Val would be sharing with Daryl. She felt mixed emotions about leaving the little house where she'd been staying with some of the other women. At first, she had been relieved to be there. When Negan's men had captured her and Val, she'd expected the worst. She never thought that she would be welcomed and given a room to sleep in. She had never expected to see Jana and little Justy there.

Jana was in charge of the little household even though she didn't live there. She made sure that everything was running well in the house, and she served as a confidant for the women. Every one of them was in love with the little baby. Even Mirit had begun to feel safe after a week in the house. Unfortunately, it was a short-lived and false sense of security.

Still, the house was special to many of the women in the sanctuary. It served as a halfway house between capture and induction into the Sanctuary itself. For that reason, the women would often meet and socialize there. In turn, the new women would feel welcomed and start becoming a part of the community.

Now that Mirit was married, she would take on other jobs inside the Sanctuary. One of her responsibilities was to help wash vegetables and prepare the food in the cafeteria. She enjoyed cooking, and was relieved to have been assigned to this task. In addition, Mirit would have to help do the laundry for the people in the Sanctuary. Jana had explained that as a working member of the community, she would earn points that could be used like currency.

According to Jana, another job she had was to be a good wife to her new husband. To this end, Mirit had made sure to wash and clean the small apartment thoroughly. She had also made the beds. The bed in the room she would be sharing with Daryl had needed making, and Val's small twin bed had needed fresh sheets as well.

Mirit thought about the night before. She had not expected Daryl to sleep on the floor. She had been so relieved when she had lifted the veil and seen Daryl there instead of Brutus. Mirit was so grateful that she hadn't even thought about what was happening. Then, they had been ushered to the bedroom. The sudden realization that she and Daryl were meant to consummate their marriage had blindsided her.

Yet, Daryl had not attempted to take advantage of her. He slept on the floor. Mirit felt conflicted. Part of her was very grateful that Daryl had thought about her and didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. Part of her was afraid of what might happen to them as a result. Would they nullify the marriage and give her to someone else? Then, part of her actually felt . . . Mirit did not want to acknowledge this emotion and pushed it away as soon as she became conscious of it. However, this did not stop the realization that she had not been upset by the thought of being with Daryl even though she barely knew him.

Before the dead began to rise, Mirit had been a very romantic person. She had imagined that she would fall in love some day and get married. She had built up a fantasy of what it would be like. Mirit had never had a one-night-stand or even kissed a man that she was not in a committed relationship with. She had been a hard woman to get, according to her friends. She had also been hard to keep. Her previous relationships had all fizzled and ended because the men just didn't measure up to what Mirit wanted.

Now, Mirit was married to a very different man than she had ever dated. From what she saw of Daryl Dixon, he was a man of integrity. Even in the face of horrific torture, he seemed solid, whole. Negan had had to resort to manipulation to get Daryl to obey him. Mirit regretted her part in that manipulation, but she admired Daryl for how he'd handled it. Despite not wanting to give in to Negan, Daryl had married her. This showed Mirit that Daryl was not resisting Negan for pride or because he would rather die than bend to Negan's will. Daryl seemed to be acting according to what he thought was right.

Mirit finished off the apartment by putting some fresh flowers in a vase and placing them on a table. She smelled the flowers and found their aroma subtle but pleasant. Now it was time to go and get Val.

She walked quickly toward the house where she had left him with Margaret. Margaret was a heavy-set woman in her mid-forties. She had a brother who worked directly under Dwight. Margaret's brother had been among the group that had attacked Mirit's community. He had also been there when Mirit and Val had been discovered after having escaped. Mirit found him to be incredibly rough and crude. He fit right in with the group at the Sanctuary.

Margaret, on the other hand, had all the charm and kindness that her brother lacked and then some. The woman had taken Mirit and Val under her wing from the moment they reached the little house. She told stories to Val and Justy, and brought them baked goods. Margaret had been a pre-school teacher before the world had disintegrated into its current state. She had recaptured some of her former joy in teaching Val and Justy as she had once taught her students.

Mirit entered the house and went to the living room. Justy was playing with some blocks, and Jana watched him with an amused smile on her face. Margaret came into the living room from the kitchen with a plate of crackers.

"Come get your snack," she said as she walked toward Justy.

Mirit expected Val to come in after her, carrying his own snack or water, but he didn't.

"Is Val upstairs?"

Mirit thought maybe the boy was in their old room. He had not taken the news of their moving well.

"Oh, Mirit. You're back already. No. He went for a walk with Negan."

The news knocked the wind right out of Mirit. She felt the world spinning around her as she fought to wrap her head around what Margaret had just said. Her little brother went for a walk with _Negan_?

Mirit gasped to refill her lungs and said, "What! How could you let him go with that man!"

Surprised, Margaret replied, "Negan is our leader. He wouldn't hurt a small child."

Mirit couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Margaret delusional? Negan was a maniac. He had even threatened Val to get Mirit to take his orders. However, Mirit had no time to waste arguing with Margaret.

"Which way did they go?"

* * *

"So, you're nickname's Val? I guess that sounds better than Valentino. What? Did your parents name you after Valentine's Day or something? Couldn't they think of a better name for a boy?"

Val looked at Negan with a hurt expression on his face. The sudden thought of his parents had hit him like a blow, and to hear someone talking about them with such disdain was too much for the boy.

"Oh shit, don't cry. It's not so bad. You can pretend like you were named after Val Kilmer. He played Batman. It was a shitty version of Batman, but still."

"Just leave me alone," Val said and tried to run away from Negan.

Negan grabbed him by the shirt and bent down to Val's level.

"Hey, kid. You have to toughen up if you want to survive in this world today. Not for nothin', but it's too easy to get you upset. I bet your sister babies you a lot and protects you, but the world just ain't safe anymore. I'm tryin' to help you out by makin' you tougher."

Val stopped struggling and looked at Negan.

"Why?"

"'Cause I'm just a standup kinda guy, Val."

"What does that mean?"

Negan laughed and let Val go. He motioned for Val to keep walking with him.

"Well, take the Sanctuary. That word means 'safe place.' It wouldn't be safe here if it wasn't for me. I make everything run smoothly. Get it?"

"Oh."

"You're lucky that you don't have to be out there alone, anymore. Your sister couldn't protect you forever. How old are you?"

"Nine."

"Just turned, or going to be ten soon?"

"I just turned nine."

"So, you have some growing up to do. Now, you can grow up strong. I can teach you how to defend yourself."

"Why do you want to?"

"I like you. You seem like a good kid. The ladies tell me you're helpful. I could use a helpful guy around."

"Val!"

Mirit shouted his name as she ran to where he stood with Negan. Negan and Val both turned to watch her approach.

"Well, if it isn't your big sis. How are you feeling today, Mirit?"

"I . . . am fine, thank you. Val, do me a favor. Go back to the house and make sure we didn't forget anything. We need to get going."

"Okay," Val said, and he started to run back toward the house.

"See what I mean? Helpful!"

Val stopped and looked back at Negan. Negan smiled at him, and Val smiled back before turning and leaving.

"Why did you take Val?"

"I wanted to talk to him."

"About what?"

"About whatever I feel like. You don't have the right to question me."

"Please, don't do anything to him. He's just a little boy."

"Did he look like I did anything to him?"

"No."

"Well, then you can stop worrying. I'm not a monster, you know."

"You said you would let your men hurt him . . ."

Negan made a confused expression.

"Did I? Oh, well you don't have to worry about that. He's my little helper. I'll take care of him if anything happens to you. I promise."

Negan smiled charmingly at Mirit. At least, she thought he was _trying_ to be charming. He was too terrifying to pull it off. All Mirit could see was that same smile on Negan's face as he bashed in her uncle's skull.

She began to tremble slightly.

"Are you cold?"

Mirit forced herself to stand steady. She could not let him see her weakness.

"A little. Thank you, for promising not to hurt Val."

"You know, once you get to know me, you might find that you actually like me."

"What?"

Mirit couldn't keep the startled expression off her face or out of her voice. She instantly regretted her reaction and tried to pretend like it hadn't been there.

"Aw, you'll see. There's nothing at all to be afraid of. Don't believe me? Ask my wives. They'll tell you there's no better husband."

Mirit did not like the way Negan was looking at her.

"I believe you," she said quickly and smiled.

"Good. I even sent a wedding present over for you and Daryl. A bad guy wouldn't do that, right?"

"No."

Negan's smile broadened and he leaned back, "Don't forget to take the costumes with you. I bet Daryl would get a kick out of seeing you in some of the outfits you didn't get to try on. I know I would."

With that, Negan laughed out loud and began walking away. Mirit stood, watching him go until he was out of her sight. Then, she ran back to the house.

Val was sitting on the floor with Justy. They had managed to stack the blocks into an impressive structure, and Justy was pretending to be a giant monster. He roared and slapped the blocks with his hand, knocking them down. The boys laughed.

"Val, we need to go. Did we get everything?"

"No. We had one box left. Jana said Negan wants to make sure you take it with you."

"Oh. Did you look inside the box?"

"No. It's taped."

"Okay. Is it heavy?"

"A little. I tried to pick it up, but Jana said that she would get her husband to carry it."

Mirit looked around and noticed that Jana was no longer in the room. Margaret sat on an easy chair in the corner. She was watching Mirit and Val as they talked.

"She already went to talk to him," Margaret said.

Mirit still felt angry at Margaret for letting Val go with Negan, but she forced herself to smile and act like nothing was wrong. The fact was that Margaret couldn't have done anything differently. Everyone here had to obey Negan.

"Oh. Thank you. I was just going to ask where she went."

"She should be back soon. She said she wanted to see you before you go."

As if on cue, Jana entered the room.

"Oh, Mirit. You're back. My husband will be dropping off the box of clothes you forgot."

The costumes. Negan had already made sure she'd take them.

"Oh, thank you."

"Come with me a minute. Sherry wants to talk with you."

* * *

"Hi. "

"Hi."

"You know me?"

"Yes. You're Sherry, one of Negan's wives."

"That's right, but he didn't send me. I was talking to my friend, Jana, and she told me that you're Daryl's new wife."

"Yes."

"Daryl's a decent guy considering how things are nowadays."

"I know."

"Doesn't seem like you do."

"What do you mean?"

"Brutus wouldn't have been so nice on your wedding night."

"I know . . ."

"Negan thinks you aren't into him."

Mirit couldn't keep the sudden blush from her cheeks.

"Are you?"

"I . . . don't know what you mean . . ."

"Are you attracted to your husband?"

"Yes."

Mirit was surprised by her own answer. She hadn't expected the word to come out of her mouth so easily. Sherry was very blunt.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"You have choices to make."

"Choices."

"Yes. If Negan thinks you don't want Daryl, he may let you leave him."

"Why would he do that after he went through all the trouble to force the marriage?"

"He's interested in you."

Mirit froze. She had started to suspect as much, but she had not expected to hear this from his wife.

"Don't look so shocked. You're an attractive woman. Negan likes attractive women. If Negan asks you to marry him, it would be the best thing that could happen to you. You'd be set, treated like a queen."

"If you are advising me to leave Daryl and marry Negan, why did you ask me if I'm attracted to him?"

Sherry smiled.

"You'd be set, but Daryl wouldn't be so lucky. Maybe he wouldn't listen to Negan anymore, or maybe he would to stay alive. I don't know at this point, but not too long ago he was determined _not_ to listen. If he started acting that way again . . ."

Sherry trailed off and then changed the subject, "I left Dwight to marry Negan because, if I hadn't, Dwight would be dead right now. You might do something similar, but I doubt Daryl would take it as well as Dwight did, especially if there's something between you. Even if he does, if you were to find out later that you really wanted him after all, you'd put him and yourself at risk. Negan doesn't take cheating well."

Mirit's head spun. The thought of being married to Negan sickened her. The fact that she was even discussing such an appalling possibility with his own wife made it even worse.

"What she's trying to say, is that you need to decide what you want and be prepared to stick by it. If you choose to be Negan's wife, it would definitely benefit you," Jana said.

"But it would probably not help Daryl," Sherry finished.

Mirit frowned at her.

"I see what you're saying. Thank you for the advice."

"No problem. It's the least I could do," Sherry said.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mirit's head spun with thoughts of the day as she walked with Val to the apartment. When they got there, Mirit noticed that the box of costumes had gotten there before them. It sat in the middle of the living room floor. Mirit pushed the box toward a closet, opened the door, and pushed it in. Then, she closed the door and turned to look at Val.

"What's in the box, anyway?"

"Some Halloween costumes."

"Oh. Can I play with them?"

"They're not for boys. Sorry."

"They're all girls' costumes?"

"Women's."

"Oh. . . . Mirit, I don't like it here."

"I know. I don't either, but we have to get used to it. It's our new home."

"The house was better than here. Justy is there, and Jana."

"Jana and Justy spend a lot of time there, but they live here, too."

"Can I go with them to the house?"

Mirit thought about Negan.

"I don't . . ."

" _Please,_ Mirit."

The truth was, if Negan wanted to see Val, he could do so at any time. They had a key into the apartment. Mirit would have to leave Val alone while she worked. It would be better to drop him off at the house, know that he was being looked after, and be told if Negan had paid him a visit.

"You know, you're right. It makes no sense for you to be in this apartment all by yourself. Besides, Margaret still has a lot to teach you."

Mirit would talk to Margaret and apologize about her reaction to the news that Negan had taken Val. She would ask Margaret to please let her know if Negan wanted to speak to Val and pretend that it didn't bother her anymore. That way, the woman would not feel like she had to hide information from Mirit.

"Let's get some lunch, and then I'll take you back to the house before I start my shift in the kitchen."

* * *

Mirit washed some potatoes and carrots in a basin full of dirty water.

"I think it's time to change this water," she said to the chef in charge.

The chef looked at the nearly black water and nodded.

"Go ahead."

Mirit took the vegetables out of the metal basin and lifted it. Even without the vegetables in it, it was heavy and cumbersome to carry. Mirit felt the edges of the metal handles digging into the skin on her fingers. She maneuvered the busy kitchen carefully on her way to the sink.

"Behind," she said, as she walked behind someone at the cutting table.

Just as she reached the sink, something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. The basin tilted slightly as she turned to look in that direction, and some of the dirty water splashed to the floor.

"Hey! Watch it!" shouted another kitchen worker.

He grabbed the basin and straightened it. Mirit let him take it from her, and he dumped the rest of the water into the sink.

"Go get the mop and clean up this mess. I'll fill it back up," he said.

Mirit nodded absently, but her eyes were fixed on Daryl. He had entered the kitchen through a side door that led to the loading dock. On his shoulders, he carried a dead doe. Mirit moved slowly in his direction.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. She spun to look at the man who had helped her with the basin.

The man pulled her to face in the opposite direction and said, "The mop's over there."

"Right," Mirit said and hurried to get the mop.

Her gaze, however, stayed on Daryl as she retrieved the mop and went through the motions of mopping up the mess of water.

Daryl waited until a table was cleared for the deer.

"Woah! An _actual_ deer! I can't believe it survived. I thought we were lucky to have the pigs," said a sous chef excitedly.

"You know how to break down a deer?" asked the head chef.

"In my sleep. No, really. I used to hunt them before, and I still dream of the days I'd bring home a beauty like this and prepare it. Oh, wait until you guys taste my venison stew!"

"We should save the hide, too. Joshua knows how to use it to make clothes."

A woman in charge of cutting meat laughed.

"Yeah, and which one of us is going to go around dressed like Pocahontas?"

Mirit flinched, remembering the box of costumes in the closet.

Daryl put the deer on the table and walked out without a word. He did not even look around the room.

"Here. Get back to work," said the man who'd finished filling the basin.

He handed it to Mirit and returned to his own work.

"Thank you . . ."

"No problem."

"My name's Mirit."

"Oh," the man replied, "Shaun."

"Nice to meet you, Shaun."

"Sure."

Shaun did not turn back to look at Mirit, but his tone seemed a little less agitated.

Mirit got back to work.

* * *

By the time dinner was cooked, served, and the kitchen cleaned, the stars shone brightly in the night sky. Yet, the stars did not provide much light at all. Mirit noticed that there was a new moon. If she had had to walk to the little house to get Val, she would have needed a flashlight to see. Thankfully, Jana had brought Val back with her and Justy. Mirit just had to stop by her apartment to get him. She closed the window and went to Jana's apartment.

She knocked on the door, and Jana opened.

"Hi, Mirit. Come in."

"Hi, Jana. Thank you for taking care of Val for me."

"No problem. It's just like old times."

Mirit's smile was bittersweet at the memory of their old life.

"Actually, if you want, I can watch him tonight. Justy hasn't been feeling well, and Val's been helping to take care of him. It's so sweet. He sings to him, and it's been the only thing that helps Justy settle down."

"Oh. . . . Well, I guess it would be okay for tonight if he wants to."

"Great. It'll give you a chance to spend time with your husband, too."

Mirit didn't have time to react to the comment.

"Hi, Mirit!" Val said and ran up to hug her.

"Hi, Val. How was your day?"

"It was okay. We learned about plants today. Margaret was going to show us how to grow strawberries, but then Justy got sick and started crying a lot."

"Jana said you helped take care of him."

"Yeah. Is it okay if I stay here tonight? I want to make sure he's okay."

"You can, but I want to talk to you about something. We'll go get your pajamas and a change of clothes. Then, I'll bring you back here for the night."

"Okay. I want to get the mp3 player, too. Justy feels better when there's music."

* * *

Mirit unlocked the door to the apartment and saw Daryl sitting by the table, looking at the flowers she had placed there.

"Hi," Mirit said.

Daryl looked up at her. He saw Val standing next to her. This was the first time he'd seen the boy. He looked very young.

"Hi. My name is Val, like Val Kimer."

Mirit looked at him, surprised. He had never introduced himself that way before.

"You mean Val Kilmer?" she asked. "How do you know about him?"

"Negan told me he played Batman."

Daryl would have smiled at the comment if it had been anyone else who'd told Val that.

"Do you talk to Negan a lot?" Daryl asked.

"No."

"When did he say that to you?"

"Today."

Negan was already making his move. He would use Val to get to Mirit.

"Val, I don't want you talking to Negan anymore. If you see him, walk the other way. Don't let him see you. If he tries to talk to you, don't say anything. Just pretend like you don't know what to say, okay," Mirit said, unable to keep the concern out of her voice.

"Why not?"

"Negan is not really a nice man."

"I know."

"Then, you know you shouldn't be around someone like that."

"He's not as bad as he seems."

"Val, it's important that you listen to me. You agreed to do what I say, remember."

"Yeah," Val said, sounding a bit frustrated.

"Okay."

Val left the living room and went to his room.

Daryl had watched the exchange without interrupting. His next words surprised Mirit.

"Let me talk to him."

Daryl stood up and walked toward Val's room.

Mirit followed him and watched from the doorway as Daryl approached Val.

Daryl put out his hand and introduced himself.

"Hi. My name's Daryl."

Val shook his hand, and Daryl lowered himself to his level.

"I know. Mirit said you'd be living with us. Are you really my brother-in-law?"

"Yes."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm married to your sister."

"Oh. How come I never saw you before?"

"I used to live somewhere else. Have you been living here long?"

"No. We used to live somewhere else before, but Mirit said we had to leave. Then some men came and brought us here."

Val looked frightened at the memory.

"Negan's men."

Val nodded.

"Do you think they are good people?"

"No. They're scary."

"Do you want to be like them?"

"No."

"Your sister's right about Negan. His men are like that because they listen to him. Do you know what will happen if you listen to him?"

"I'll be like those men?"

Daryl nodded.

"I don't want to be like that," Val said, shaking his head from side to side.

Daryl nodded again and patted Val's shoulder.

"Remember that. You might have to hear what Negan has to say, but you have a choice. You don't have to be like those men."

Mirit raised her hand to her mouth and held back tears. Daryl rose and walked toward her, and she turned and walked back toward the living room.

"Mirit?"

Mirit wiped her eyes and turned to face Daryl.

"I'm sorry. I haven't seen someone talk to him like that since my uncle. He might have said the same thing."

Val came out of his room with a full book bag.

"I'm ready," he said.

Daryl looked at Mirit, confused.

"He's staying with Jana tonight to help take care of Justy."

Daryl frowned. It was clear that Jana and her baby were more than just neighbors. If it came down to it, would Mirit and Val be able to leave them behind? Daryl shook his head to clear out the thought. Right now, there was no way any of them could escape safely. Also, the fact that he was already thinking of taking them with him was a problem. Daryl couldn't allow himself to consider escaping with Mirit and Val. First, he didn't know if they would even want to go with him. Second, their presence would complicate things immensely.

Mirit took the book bag and checked its contents.

"Looks good."

Mirit looked at Daryl.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Come on, Val," she said.

* * *

Mirit felt uneasy after dropping Val off at Jana's. She thought about what he had said about Negan not being that bad. Mirit had tried to discover what Negan had said to Val when they'd walked back to the apartment before lunch, but the boy had been vague. He had only said that Negan had been mean, and then said he was sorry.

"Hey! Aren't you that nurse?"

Mirit was startled to see a man standing a few feet in front of her. She had been lost in thought, and he had come from a turn in the hallway. She cursed herself for being careless. If they had still been out in the world, something like this could get her and Val killed. Even now, she had been unprepared to handle the situation.

"I don't know what you mean. I'm not a nurse," she said and tried to walk past the man.

"Sure! You were dressed like one. I remember. It was a really hot outfit."

He smirked, and grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.

Mirit turned and looked him in the eyes.

"Excuse me," she said.

"Wait up a minute. You don't have to rush off. I just want to talk to you, get to know you a little better."

"I . . ."

Daryl cleared his throat loudly, to make the two aware of his presence.

They turned and looked at him.

"My husband is waiting for me," Mirit said and pulled her arm free of the man's grasp.

"You're married to him?"

Mirit didn't answer. Instead, she rushed over to Daryl and looped her arm in his, relieved that he'd come to look for her.

"Let's go, honey," she said, and they walked away together.

* * *

Mirit broke the awkward silence that had developed in the hallway as she walked with Daryl.

"Thank you for coming to find me."

"I didn't. I was there the whole time."

"What?"

"I followed you to make sure you got there and back okay."

Mirit was surprised by this revelation.

"I didn't see you . . ."

Daryl had been used to tracking, and he knew how to move quietly. He'd stayed back as he followed Mirit and watched her talk with a woman he assumed was Jana. Mirit had entered the apartment with Val and come out a little while later.

"I didn't want to butt in," he explained.

"Daryl, did you eat anything today?" Mirit asked, changing the subject.

"No."

Mirit had looked for Daryl at lunch and dinner, but he wasn't in the cafeteria. She figured that Negan had kept him busy all day.

"Come with me."

Daryl walked with Mirit toward the kitchen, where she worked.

There was a small staff room near the kitchen, where Mirit had put away some of the venison stew. She took the bowl of stew out of the refrigerator and heated it in the microwave. Mirit had planned to eat the stew for lunch, but she figured there would be something else she could eat. She took a plastic spoon from the cupboard and placed it into the bowl of heated stew.

"Eat this," she said, handing it to Daryl.

Daryl took the bowl of stew gratefully, and Mirit showed him to a small table in the corner. He sat on one of the two chairs next to the table.

"Seems like a small room for the amount of staff that works in the kitchen."

"We aren't allowed very long breaks, and only two people can leave at a time."

Daryl tasted the stew and paused.

"Venison," he said.

He remembered Michonne carrying the deer to Alexandria, and Negan telling the men to take it. Daryl had felt bad about it at the time, but the stew tasted very good to him. Perhaps hunger really was the best seasoning. Certainly it tasted better than the dogfood sandwiches they'd been giving him in the cell. Mirit had come through for him again, making sure that he'd have something decent to eat.

"Thank you," he said.

Mirit smiled at him. She was glad that he could finally eat real food, at a table. She couldn't imagine how she would have come out of being tortured the way he had been. How had he maintained his sanity?

After he finished eating, Mirit took the plate and spoon and washed them, replacing them in their spots.

Daryl watched her silently. It felt strange to have someone waiting on him. The whole situation seemed surreal. He didn't want to dwell on it, though. He didn't want to fall back into thinking about what he had been going through before reaching this point. Instead, he shifted his thoughts back to Mirit.

"How'd you end up here?" he asked.

Mirit sat across from him and sighed. Then, she began to relate her story.

"We used to live in a small community not far from here. There were five families left from our street. All of us had moved into one of the buildings after the men had cleared it out.

"From my family, it was just me, Val, mom, Uncle George, and my baby cousin, Jacob. My father died of a heart attack when Val was around two. My cousin, Charlotte, and her husband had died in a car accident a year before the dead began appearing.

"Uncle George was a veteran. He knew how to rally people and get things in order. People looked up to him. Even though he was a stern man, he could also be very kind and gentle. Jacob really loved his grandpa.

"We lived in the building peacefully for a long time, but if people came we would be very quiet and barricade the door. Uncle George had been out many times to look for supplies with some of the others, and he said that people were different now and couldn't be trusted. He taught me how to fight and how to kill the dead ones. I went with them a few times to look for supplies, too. He knew that I had to face them, that he wouldn't always be around. I had to learn how to protect myself and the children.

"One day, the group went out and didn't come back. The next day, a bunch of dead ones invaded the neighborhood. They heard Jacob crying. I tried to quiet him, but he wanted his grandpa. He kept crying for him.

"The dead started scratching and hitting the door to the apartment complex. Thankfully, it was made of heavy-duty metal and the barricade we'd made was strong. I took Jacob and Val upstairs to Jana's apartment. Mom and Jana watched the boys, while I went in search of the group.

"I went out the back using our emergency fire ladder and headed in the direction of the supermarket they had been trying to clear out for supplies. That's when I first saw Negan's men. They were holding guns on some of the men from the group, walking in the direction of our building. I didn't know then, but my uncle was in a truck behind the walking men. He had refused to lead Negan's men to us.

"When I saw that the men were heading in our direction, I ran back to the building to warn everyone that an attack was coming. The dead had started swarming around the building, and the men weren't far behind them. I couldn't get back to the ladder.

"I heard a scream, and I saw my little brother getting attacked by a large dead man. He had snuck away while mom and Jana were distracted. I got there just in time to save him, but we were forced to run away. There were just too many of them."

Mirit began to cry at the memory. She didn't go into explicit details about what had happened next. She only said that Jacob and her mother had died during the invasion. Then, Mirit told Daryl that she and Val had gotten safely to an adjacent building. They had used the building as a lookout spot, and she had a pair of binoculars there. Looking through the binoculars, she had seen everything.

Just as Mirit finished telling Daryl that Negan had killed her uncle, they heard someone in the hallway. Startled, Mirit turned off the light and took Daryl by the hand.

Silently, she led him to the corner of the room and stood tensely in the dark with him. The person did not come into the staff room. Once he had passed, Mirit relaxed.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I really don't want to talk to any more of these people tonight," Mirit whispered.

Daryl did not respond. He was so close to Mirit that he could feel her breath on his neck. Her whole body radiated warmth. She still held his hand in hers.

"We should go now," Mirit said.

* * *

When they reached the apartment, Mirit saw Sherry standing in front of the door, holding an ugly statue.

Mirit greeted her and passed by her to open the door.

"Negan sent me to deliver this wedding present."

"What is it?"

"A fertility god," Sherry said and smiled. "You're just getting home?"

Mirit pasted a smile on her face.

"Yeah, went for a walk," she replied.

"Hi, Daryl," Sherry said, looking in his direction.

Daryl looked at Sherry carrying the ridiculous statue. He did not respond.

They entered the apartment and Sherry walked toward the bedroom, leaving Mirit and Daryl in the living room.

Mirit walked over to Daryl and stood by his side.

"Excuse the interruption," Sherry said as she exited the bedroom. "I had to be sure to deliver it tonight, or Negan would have been very unhappy with me."

Sherry smiled at Daryl and Mirit. To their mutual relief, she said goodnight to them and left.

Mirit went into the room and took the ugly statue out.

"He really has a sick sense of humor."

She opened the closet and put the statue inside, next to the box of costumes.

"You know, he made me bring those costumes."

Daryl looked at Mirit, remembering the costumes she'd worn to see him. He walked over to her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be okay."

Mirit was a strong person, and Daryl couldn't help but admire her.

Usually Mirit would let the memories fade back into the past and welcome the numbness that often filled her after an intense emotional experience. It was like her feelings would overload and stop working for a while so that she could continue to function. This time, however, Mirit was left with a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach.

Maybe seeing Sherry had caused her to become anxious. She couldn't help but remember the conversation they'd had earlier.

Mirit looked up into Daryl's eyes and saw genuine concern there.

"I'll be okay," she repeated.

Daryl nodded and began to turn to walk back toward the couch.

"Wait. . . . Please, Daryl. Just come with me."

"What is it?"

Mirit took Daryl by the hand and guided him toward the bedroom. She sounded very anxious, so Daryl went with her. Mirit closed the door to the room and hugged him tightly. Her whole body started to shake uncontrollably.

Daryl put his hands on her waist to steady her.

"I need to tell you something, and I don't know how to say it," she said.

"Mirit . . ."

"I _will_ be okay, but I don't want you to stay on the couch. Please stay with me, tonight."

Daryl stood stone still, unsure.

Suddenly, Mirit took a deep breath and seemed to regain her composure. She took Daryl's hand and walked backward toward the bed.

Daryl hesitated. He did not know why Mirit was doing this. Before he could ask her to tell him what was happening, she hugged him again and put her lips to his ear.

Sherry's visit had shocked Mirit. It had served as a sudden reminder of the decision she had finally come to. Mirit had spent the whole day coming to her decision, and she had confirmed that it was the right decision when she'd shared her story with Daryl. She had not talked to anyone about what she had seen, not even Jana. Mirit had come to trust Daryl, and she needed to tell him the truth about how she felt.

"I just want you to know," she whispered, "I feel so lucky. I don't know how I got so lucky. Out of all the people I could have been forced to marry, I got to marry you. In this horrible world we live in now, I could never have dreamed to find a man like you, a man who has managed to maintain real humanity."

Daryl felt Mirit's body press firmly against him as she whispered to him. He had been ready to let her go, convinced that she would choose her best chance at survival if given the option. He never imagined that she actually felt _lucky_ to be his wife. His mind spun with this information. His heart beat rapidly in his chest.

Mirit pulled back from the hug and looked into Daryl's eyes. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips.

Daryl hesitated for only a moment, and then passionately returned the kiss. Desire hit him suddenly like a punch in the gut and spread its heat over his entire body. His breath caught in his throat as the feeling burned into a tingling excitement. He broke the kiss and took shallow breaths to try to calm his racing heart.

"Are you sure . . ."

"Yes," she whispered and kissed him again.

Then she leaned back against the bed and pulled Daryl with her. She winced briefly as her butt hit the mattress, but the slight pain of her bruises was quickly forgotten.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 _Mirit heard Val call for her. Alarmed, she stood and walked through the dark room. She opened the door and felt a little disoriented. This wasn't their apartment. This was the new apartment, the one they were living in now. She had been dreaming about their old home, before Negan. This place felt cold and unsafe. No wonder Val had awoken crying. Perhaps he had been having a nightmare._

 _Mirit opened the door to his bedroom and turned on the light. Shock and fear struck her suddenly like a butcher's axe chopping through a carcass. It was as if, upon opening the door, time had slowed for an instant, allowing Mirit to take in the horrifying picture._

 _A dead man stood next to her brother's bed. Val sat, shivering and whimpering as the dead one's face hovered ever closer to his. The monster's hands reached toward Val._

 _Mirit gave an inadvertent half shout, half gasp, but the dead one did not respond to the sound. He was intent only on Val._

 _Suddenly, the dead man was upon Val, eating him!_

Mirit felt as if her heart had stopped beating in her chest, the crushing weight of anxiety holding her paralyzed against the mattress. Suddenly jolted awake by the nightmare, she struggled to catch her breath. Her body shook uncontrollably for a few seconds before her eyes began adjusting to the darkness.

Slowly, she became aware of her surroundings and the reality of her situation. She was in the apartment in the Sanctuary. She was in her bed, and Val was at Jana's. She felt a weight across her shoulders and realized that fear had not been the only thing holding her down.

Daryl had draped his arm over her shoulders in his sleep.

The shock of relief and peace that poured into her so contrasted how she'd just felt moments before, that Mirit was overcome by it. A feeling of well-being, of being safe and protected, spread gradually through her body, forcing out the icy terror the nightmare had brought. Mirit exhaled and surrendered to the tranquility.

* * *

Val awoke as soon as the sun's rays lightened the room. He looked around frantically trying to remember where he was. This had been a daily ritual for him since he and Mirit had left their apartment. Val sighed in relief when he realized that he was in a safe place.

Justy, his little friend from home, was fast asleep. The music on Val's mp3 player sounded softly in the boy's ears.

Ever since Val had gotten the mp3 player as a gift, he'd taken it with him wherever he went. Instead of listening to the sounds of the dead, Val had been able to lose himself in music most nights, knowing that Mirit would be there to protect him. Now, Val had stayed and watched over Justy while he slept.

Val felt proud that he had helped. Even though his sister could be bossy and annoying at times, he looked up to her. He wanted to do his part, like she did.

"Do you have to go so early? Justy is still feverish, and I'm worried."

"Jana, you know when Negan calls us, we have to go right away. . . . Besides, we have a decent doctor. Just take Justy to see him."

"John, you know that man gives me the creeps."

"I don't see why. He's a good doctor. Takes care of everyone here."

"He just does, and Justy doesn't like him, either."

"Well, you decide. Our options are limited. Go or don't, but I have to leave now."

"Fine."

Val heard the argument even though the two had been whispering in the other room.

No one ever whispers well when they are agitated.

Val heard the door to the apartment open and close. Then, he ventured into the living room to talk to Jana.

"Aunt Jana, Justy's head is still hot."

"I know, Val."

"Does he need medicine?"

"I've been giving him the baby aspirin. You know, the little orange pills."

"Oh, yeah."

Jana went to the kitchen sink and wet a washcloth with cold water.

"He might need a cold bath."

"He's sleeping."

"Yes. I'm going to let him sleep a little longer. Come with me. I will show you how to keep his head cold with this."

Val paid close attention. He would check the washcloth periodically, and turn it to the cold side. Then, if it dried out, he would go and wet it with cold water.

Jana took the opportunity to heat up some canned chicken soup for her son. If his fever didn't break soon, she would take him to the doctor.

Mirit hurried to Jana's apartment and knocked on the door.

A very haggard-looking Jana opened.

"Jana, is everything okay?"

"Justy is still sick. I'm going to have to take him to the doctor."

"Then, you won't be going to the house today?"

"I don't know. Not if he doesn't get better. Even if the fever breaks, he'll need to rest."

"I can take Val with me to do laundry."

"No. It's okay. I can't tell you how much of a help he's been through this. I don't think I would have held it together as well on my own."

Mirit was taken aback by the admission. Jana had always been so strong. She was the one who would step in and coach people through tough times. Yet, she had been depending on a boy to help her to stay strong.

"Is it that bad?"

"His fever just won't break. It's holding steady at 101."

"Medicine's not working?"

"No."

"I wish I could call in sick and stay with you."

Jana gave a half-smile.

"Sure. If we could only go back to times when that was a thing."

"Mirit!"

Val ran over and hugged Mirit.

It always amused her how he reacted whenever they spent any small time apart.

"How are you?"

"I'm okay. Justy is still sick, but we are helping him cool down."

"Oh. Learning how to be a nurse?"

"Yes, like mom."

"I wish your mom was still here," Jana said absentmindedly before she caught herself.

Mirit and Val looked sad, remembering their mother. Mirit had witnessed her needless death, but Val hadn't. He had been told later, and he had not taken it well. Too many of their family had died suddenly on that day. Sometimes, Val would still lapse back into a near-comatose state. Mirit looked at him, but he shook himself out of whatever train of thought he had started to follow.

Mirit hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry," Jana said. "I know it can't compare to how much you two must miss . . ."

"Yeah. It's okay. We aren't the only ones who lost people."

"Well, let me get Justy. We can walk together, and you can take Val for breakfast. All I have here are canned goods. It's better for him to eat fresh food."

"Okay. We can meet you after at the doctor's, and then I need to get to work."

* * *

"Really?"

"Yes. They both left the apartment. He's at the cells, and she's eating breakfast with her little brother. Go get it now."

Sherry sighed. She hated running these errands for Negan. Silently, she hoped that this would end after today.

"Okay," Sherry said and headed out of the room.

As she exited, John and Dwight entered the room.

Dwight cast a passing glance at his ex-wife. He recognized the expression on her face. Secretly, he rejoiced that she was annoyed by Negan.

Having seen her at the doctor's office with a pregnancy test several days before had really jolted Dwight. To make matters worse, Daryl had been present. Dwight never really got used to the deep feeling of humiliation he carried with him from day to day. He would push it down and force himself to ignore it as the price he'd paid for his life. However, being around Daryl seemed to magnify the feeling until Dwight felt as if he'd choke on it.

"I'm going to need you to take over the search for the Amazons," Negan said to John.

"Wasn't Brutus in charge of that?" John asked.

"Brutus is being transferred to the outpost on the southern border. He's ready to step up and take over that facility for me. I need someone I know I can depend on to take over this search. He marked the map where they've already looked. Eventually, we'll find them."

Negan walked over to his desk and pointed to an out-stretched map.

"I want you to begin here. Take a few of the men and pack up for the mission. Leave tomorrow morning."

John looked concerned for an instant and then changed his expression to impassivity. Negan did not miss the switch.

"What?"

"Nothing. I will be ready to go."

"You looked worried. Why?"

"My son is sick, but my wife is taking care of him."

"Oh. Well, he'll be fine. Dwight can look after him and the misses."

"Yeah. Absolutely," Dwight said, actually meaning it.

John nodded.

"Go on, then."

Dismissed, John went to work. He did not know much about the group Negan called the Amazons, just that they were all women and children. Somehow, a whole band of women and children had up and disappeared from one of the outposts one night. John would have to be sure to recover the missing people.

Negan hated losing followers, especially women.

After John left the room, Negan asked Dwight to sit.

"Well, I have a feeling things are going my way."

Dwight gave Negan a quizzical expression.

"With Daryl."

"Oh."

"The men I had watching their apartment said that they went in looking real cozy."

Dwight smiled. He couldn't wait to see what would happen to Daryl now that he had someone else to look after. Surely, Negan would bend Daryl now, like he had done to Dwight and all the others under his power. Even the leader of Daryl's community had bent to Negan's will, thanking him for screwing him over.

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation.

"Maybe that's confirmation, now."

* * *

Negan laughed heartily as he watched Daryl escorted into the room by Dwight. He dismissed Dwight with a wink and a nod and told Daryl to have a seat.

Daryl remained standing.

Undaunted, Negan continued grinning as he spoke, "Well, the little wedding present I sent for you sure worked didn't it?"

Negan's grin broadened at Daryl's irritated expression.

Daryl wondered how Negan had found out what had happened the night before. His men had not come to get him that morning, but had instead gotten him while he was working late this afternoon. Daryl had been cleaning one of the cells when they told him that Negan wanted to see him. Could it be that Negan had called Mirit to him first and asked her?

"Don't look so confused. I know everything that happens here. I knew that mattress would do the trick. Gave you some of Rick's mojo."

Daryl could not keep the startled look from his face at what Negan had just said.

"Yeah, that mattress was the only one we kept, special, just for you. Bet Rick and his girl are really missing it, but they'd be happy it went to good use."

Daryl clenched his jaw and tried to keep his anger in check. He couldn't let Negan know that his taunting was getting to him.

Negan laughed again and picked up the camcorder he had taken from Alexandria. He had laid it on his desk when Daryl had entered the room.

Daryl assumed he was looking at the recording of Rick, or maybe Daryl's recording. A sick feeling started to form in the pit of his stomach.

Negan walked over to him and stood next to him, lifting the screen so Daryl could see it.

"So, what did she say to you right here to get you hard? Was she telling you what she wanted to do to you? That's always so hot when women do that."

Daryl stared in disbelief at the footage on the camcorder. From the position of the video, the camera must have been hidden in the bookshelf next to the dresser.

"Sherry positioned it just right, don't you think?"

The bed was completely in view. Daryl wanted to destroy the camera, but Negan pulled it away before he could move.

"I see what you're thinking, but I'm keeping this for posterity, and in case I wanna watch a little porn now and then. Though, after this it gets kinda disappointing. I mean, who still does it under the covers?"

Negan emphasized his words with facial expression that contorted his face in mock confusion.

Daryl felt himself burning red with anger and embarrassment. It was all he could do not to lose control.

"Careful how you look at me. Wouldn't want anything happening to your cute little family, would you? After such a fine beginning. In fact, you should be happy I was nice enough to give you a wife."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As they ate breakfast, Mirit asked Val about Justy.

The boy had been complaining of a sore throat for a few days before. He had not been as talkative or active as usual, and he had not been eating well. Then, Justy had developed a fever and started coughing uncontrollably, gasping for air in-between coughing fits.

"When did the coughing start?"

"Last night, mostly."

Mirit grabbed the bacon sandwich she had made for Jana and cleared the tray and utensils with Val. Then, she put the sandwich in the left pocket of her hoody. Mirit took Val's hand and headed toward the doctor's office.

They arrived just as Jana was coming out with Justy.

Jana looked so frail carrying the very-sick-looking little boy.

"Did the doctor give him antibiotics?"

"No. He said it's probably a virus."

Mirit couldn't believe it. Even if the boy had the flu, he should get antibiotics to prevent a secondary bacterial infection. It was standard procedure for small children to put them on a course of antibiotics, just in case. They tended to be at greater risk with infections than adults, especially if Justy had what Mirit suspected he had.

"He needs antibiotics," she said.

Then, Mirit went into the doctor's office and addressed the doctor.

"Excuse me, Doctor. Would it be possible to get a z-pack for my friend's son? You know, just in case."

"No. I already told your friend it's probably just a virus, and we don't treat viruses with antibiotics."

"Of course, Doctor. It's just that, since he's so little . . ."

"We don't live in those times, anymore. If he has a bacterial infection, then I'll give him antibiotics. Unfortunately, there's no way for me to do a culture here, so we'll just have to wait and see if he doesn't improve."

Mirit could feel her face growing red as the anger rose in her. She pushed it down and kept a pleasant expression on her face.

Justy could not leave there without antibiotics.

"Doctor, he's been sick for a long time. His fever isn't going down . . ."

The doctor turned to Jana, "Didn't you say it's only been a few days? That's hardly _a long time_. I gave you some baby Tylenol. That should help with the fever."

Mirit scanned the room and saw a cabinet labeled "Antibiotics." She pushed her way into the room, past the doctor and hurried to the cabinet. Silently, she prayed that it wasn't locked and pulled at the door handle. Right there in front of her was a small stack of z-packs and various other antibiotic pills. Mirit snatched one of the z-packs from the pile with her left hand and raised it up exaggeratedly into the air.

"See, you have a bunch right here!" she exclaimed excitedly as she let the z-pack fly from her fingers.

Mirit had acted so quickly that the doctor had not had time to react. Now, his gaze, along with everyone else's, followed the z-pack as it bounced off the opposite wall and fell to the floor. Mirit took advantage of the seconds of inattention to her and snatched another z-pack with her right hand, shoving it into the pocket of her hoodie. Then, she rushed over to the fallen z-pack without missing a beat.

"Oh, my bad! I totally didn't mean to drop that. Damn, I must have Teflon fingers. I don't know how that happened!"

The doctor got there first and snatched the z-pack before Mirit could take it.

"Get out!" he said, angrily.

Then, he pushed her toward the door.

"How dare you come in here and start opening cabinets and taking things out!"

Mirit hurried to Jana and hid behind her.

"I'm so sorry, Doctor," she said. "I don't know what got into me. You're absolutely right, of course!"

The doctor kept looking at Jana and Mirit as he shoved the z-pack back into the cabinet and slammed it closed.

Mirit hid a smile, then grabbed Val's hand and put her other hand on Jana's shoulder.

"We should go," Mirit said.

Once they had cleared the doctor's office, Mirit took the sandwich out of her left pocket and handed it to Jana.

Suddenly, the doctor came charging at them, hysterical.

"Aha! I knew it!" he said as he ran over to them.

Mirit almost jumped out of her skin when she saw him.

The doctor grabbed the sandwich from Jana and looked at it. His expression changed from one of indignation to one of utter confusion. Then, he put the sandwich back onto Jana's still-raised hand and shoved his hands into Mirit's pockets.

"Hey!" she cried, offended.

The pockets were empty.

The doctor's face was beet red, and his breath came in angry huffs.

"I could have sworn there was another z-pack" he muttered under his breath.

He had gotten suspicious just as the women had started to leave the office. He'd opened the cabinet and seen that the pile of z-packs looked shorter to him. Even after he replaced the z-pack that he'd thrown carelessly into the cabinet, the pile seemed shorter. The doctor had run after the women and children, and he had thought he'd caught them in the act. He had not expected the object being passed along to be a sandwich, and the woman's pockets were empty. Feeling foolish, the doctor stormed back toward his office.

"What the hell just happened?" Jana asked, confused.

Mirit did not hide her smile this time.

"We should get you safely back to your apartment before any other crazy people come after us. Let me take Justy so that you can eat that."

Jana had been holding the sandwich in her right hand and holding Justy balanced on her hip with the left.

Mirit took the boy from Jana.

Jana unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite as they walked. It had been hard for her to think of herself while her little boy was so sick, but she needed to stay healthy in order to care for him. Jana was grateful for Mirit's help. She also trusted Mirit's judgment. If she said that Justy needed antibiotics. Jana would have to find a way to get them. Thankfully, she had an in with Sherry.

Once they reached Jana's apartment and everyone had entered, Mirit took the z-pack out of her sleeve. She had just had time to hide it in there before the doctor had tried picking her pockets.

"Give him two right now, and one a day until they finish. There are only five day's worth, but they keep working for ten."

Jana stared in disbelief at the antibiotics.

"How?"

Mirit smiled.

"Magic," she said and winked.

She wasn't lying. Magic was all about sleight of hand. Mirit had once watched a YouTube video where a man had been convinced that his friend was making things disappear before his eyes. All he had really been doing was throwing the objects to a third friend and slapping his empty hand.

"I really have to go, now. I'm going to be late, and I have a feeling that's a lot worse now than it used to be. Val, you're coming with me."

Jana looked surprised.

"I'm going to take him to work with me, after all. Tomorrow it should be okay, but the antibiotics need a day to kick in."

"It's contagious . . ."

"If it's what I think, yes."

"What do you think it is, Mirit?"

"Pertussis."

Jana didn't know what that was, but it didn't sound good.

"What will happen to him?"

"Hopefully, we caught it in time to keep it from getting too bad."

"What if I get it?"

"It's not that dangerous for adults. Just very young children and the elderly."

"Like the flu?"

"Yeah. Only, this cough could last over a hundred days."

Jana was struck by the sudden realization of what her son had contracted.

"Whooping cough."

"Just keep an eye on him. I would recommend Vitamin C and VapoRub to help him recover and treat the symptoms."

Jana nodded and hugged Mirit.

"Thank you, Mirit."

* * *

Val turned out to be a big help in the laundry room. He folded laundry and packed it into bags to be delivered back to the residents of the Sanctuary. All the women in the laundry room commented on what a good and adorable little boy he was.

Mirit felt very proud of her little brother. She knew that boys his age could be very bratty and hard to care for. Yet, Val had always been a kind child, even before the horrors. Now, he had become more serious and determined. Val seemed to be growing up very quickly. At least, he seemed to be growing up right, if Mirit could keep Negan away from him.

Mirit worried about what would happen to Val in this place. The thought of his being corrupted by Negan was bad enough, but now there was also a very contagious illness that could be threatening him as well. Mirit was almost certain that Justy had Pertussis based on Val's description of the symptoms. Having seen the little boy had not settled Mirit's fears. The illness was very dangerous to young children. Val also ran the risk of dying if he contracted the disease.

Mirit would need to get more antibiotics somehow. They would need to take them preventively. She had tried asking the other women about the doctor, and they had said that he followed military rules for medicine. Basically, those who were important or useful would get treated better, and if you looked like you were more dead than alive, then you were considered dead.

Mirit had asked who the doctor considered to be important. Everyone had said Negan and his men. Some had said that the doctor also valued those who had something to offer him. They did not give any specifics, though.

Mirit considered her options. She couldn't become an important person and had nothing useful to offer in exchange for medicine. She would either need to befriend someone important or find another opportunity to steal the medicine.

* * *

Jana had finally dozed off. Yet it only felt like a few seconds had passed when she heard a knock at the door and came suddenly away. She checked on Justy, who had fallen asleep as well. Luckily, he had not awakened with the knock. Jana's hand touched his forehead and still felt it to be a little too warm.

Jana went to the door and opened it before another knock could wake Justy.

"Dwight."

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

"You look like hell, Jana."

"Yeah. Justy's very sick. I didn't expect to see you."

"I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"John's been reassigned."

"What? What does that mean?"

"He's going to be gone on a mission for a while. Negan asked me to take care of you and Justy."

Jana turned pale. Had Negan discovered their secret?

"Don't worry. He doesn't know about us. It just worked out this way."

"Are you sure? He's married to Sherry. I mean, she's my friend, but what if she . . ."

"Sherry wouldn't do that. She wouldn't tell Negan."

"I'm sorry. I just . . . I've been so worried that I'm not thinking straight. Dwight, would you be able to get your hands on some antibiotics and maybe some Vitamin C or VapoRub?"

"Why? Didn't the doctor hook you up?"

"No. He refused to give us anything."

"Okay. I'll have a talk with him. Do you need anything else?"

Jana sighed with relief.

"Some more canned soup."

"Alright. I'll try to get the stuff by tonight."

Jana took a washcloth and wet it in cold water. She placed it onto Justy's head.

John would be gone. How would Jana get by without him? Dwight might look after them as best he could, but he was Negan's right-hand man. He couldn't be as attentive as John.

Still, Jana had to trust that Dwight would do right by them. After all, he was family. Jana hoped that that still meant what it used to mean, but in this world, everything was questionable.

* * *

Dwight pushed Daryl along in front of him as they walked. Daryl must have pissed Negan off to have been reassigned to re-positioning walkers in front of the gate. What was it with this guy? He seemed to take one step forward and two back. Dwight shook his head, and pulled Daryl's shoulder to stop him.

"Hold on a sec."

Daryl stopped walking and looked at Dwight.

"You probably thought cleaning the cells was bad. Now you'll really have to get down and dirty. Help move the walkers to the empty posts. Chain them in place, and remove the hoods from their heads. Trust me, it sounds easier than it is."

Dwight motioned to another of Negan's grunts, and he gave Daryl a stick to use to keep the walkers at arm's length.

As Daryl went to work, Dwight saw John walking toward a truck he and some men had been filling for their trip.

"John," Dwight called.

"Yeah?"

"I went to see your wife. She asked me to pick some things up at the doctor's. Come by my place and get it before you go home tonight."

"Okay."

"How'd she take the news about my reassignment?"

"As well as could be expected."

John clenched his jaw. He hated having to leave them behind, but the mission he was going to lead was too dangerous to take his family.

"Thanks."

"Sure."

Dwight waved at John and went back to watching Daryl struggle with the dead. The wind blew dust on the workers in front of the Sanctuary constantly, and as it mixed with the sweat on their bodies, it formed a thick layer of caked-on dirt on their skin. By the time Daryl had gotten the fourth walker in place, he was covered in sweat and grime. So much for that bath he'd taken.

Daryl took walker after walker to empty posts in front of the Sanctuary. He positioned them and chained them in place. Then, he removed the hoods from their heads and watched as they snapped their teeth at him before going to get another one. The work was tedious and filthy, but it helped Daryl to work out the anger he had been feeling since his talk with Negan.

The bastard had recorded Daryl and Mirit together on Rick and Michonne's bed.

Daryl felt nauseous thinking about it. The smell of decaying flesh and unwashed bodies at work added to the discomfort.

Then, Negan came and stood by Dwight. Daryl could see that they were talking, but he couldn't hear what about. He forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand and forget about the two men looking at him work.

Negan asked Dwight how Daryl was liking his new assignment, when a delivery truck arrived from the Hilltop. Negan and Dwight began walking over to the truck, and Negan was intercepted by one of his men.

Apparently, someone had skipped out on redirect duty. That meant that the dead would be scattered in places that were inconvenient for Negan and his men. Negan was just going to deal with the situation when someone started shooting from the truck. It turned out to be Rick's son, Carl. Negan could not help but like that kid. He was so much more badass than his father. Carl was the way Negan imagined his own son would have been if he'd had one.

* * *

Mirit and Val had just finished delivering the last of the laundry before heading toward the kitchen. On their way there, they had witnessed the murder of two of Negan's men by a teenage boy. Mirit had grabbed Val as soon as she heard the gun go off, and she had hidden him behind a nearby truck. It turned out to be the truck John had been packing with supplies.

Mirit took a peek into the truck and saw John.

He rushed out upon hearing the gunshots.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. Some kid was firing at Negan's men."

John called the other men with him, and they went to see what was happening.

Mirit took the opportunity to look in the truck and see if there were any antibiotics, but there weren't any in sight. She did see a bunch of weapons, but she didn't dare take any of those.

"Come on," she said to Val.

Then, she led him to the door of the cafeteria.

"Go in and get in line for some food. You can use the points I earned from working. Just let them know to deduct them from my account."

"Okay."

Mirit didn't like sending Val in on his own, but she needed to do something. Bringing Val along with her would be more dangerous. If Mirit was correct, the truck that had just arrived might have some medical supplies on it. She snuck toward it as the dead men were taken away to be burned. Mirit saw Daryl at the gate, looking very worried about the teenage boy.

The thought struck her suddenly that she had never asked Daryl about his family. There was still a lot Mirit did not know about her husband. Perhaps, the teenager was Daryl's family or friend. She felt a pang of sympathy for Daryl.

He looked terrible.

Negan seemed to be torturing him again.

Mirit wanted nothing more than to comfort Daryl, but she knew that she had to remain hidden if she was to accomplish her goal. Slowly and carefully, she made her way to the truck. It reeked of alcohol. Mirit hopped into the back of the truck and looked around quickly. She spotted food and guns. Then, in a corner, she saw a small box.

Mirit opened the box and found a first aid kit and some other medicines. Among them, there were antibiotics. Mirit silently thanked God for her good fortune and took the medicine. There would be enough for the three of them: Val, Daryl, and herself.

Mirit had just climbed out of the truck when a woman addressed her.

"Hey! What are you doing there?"

Mirit spun and looked the woman in the face.

"Hi. I was just on my way to the kitchen. I wondered if I should be carrying in any of this food . . ."

"Don't worry about that now. We'll send for you if we need you. Just report to your assignment."

"Yes, ma'am," Mirit said and hurried toward the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, Daryl was preparing a platter of food for Negan. Mirit could not believe her luck. She made her way over to her husband and whispered to him. To keep from looking suspicious, she began to help him with the tray of food.

"Daryl, are you alright?"

Daryl felt conflicted. He knew that he shouldn't respond, that he should just finish preparing the platter in silence. Anything he said to Mirit now would only make things worse for her. Yet, he had to know something. He could not keep from asking her.

"Mirit, would ya leave this place if ya could?"

"Hell, yes."

She didn't even hesitate. Mirit felt a sense of intense anticipation and longing at the thought of leaving the Sanctuary. She did not know if or how it could ever be possible, but if Daryl managed to find a way, she and Val would be right there with him.

Daryl looked into her eyes for an instant and saw the fire in them.

"Let's go," Dwight said as he grabbed Daryl's shirt and pulled him out of the kitchen.

Daryl held the tray of food in his hands and allowed himself to be led away.

Mirit had seen Dwight coming, but she hadn't had a chance to motion to Daryl. Luckily, Dwight had not heard them whispering to each other. He just seemed annoyed at seeing Mirit and Daryl together.

Dwight had not expected to see Daryl standing next to his wife. He had forgotten that she had been assigned to work in the kitchen on some afternoons and evenings. Seeing them together had made Dwight think of Sherry. She would be there now, with Negan's other wives.

Just as the thought came to his mind, Dwight and Daryl arrived at Negan's apartment. Dwight looked up and saw Negan and Sherry kissing each other.

She had not seen them enter. When she turned her head and saw Dwight, Sherry closed her eyes and fought back the sick feeling that suddenly overwhelmed her. Despite her being married to Negan now, she always felt like she was cheating on Dwight. She couldn't stand to see his face just then, so she turned her gaze away.

Negan smiled when he saw the two men enter. He loved to show off everything he had. Negan took a bite of food and told Carl to take the tray from Daryl.

Suddenly, Daryl couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Why you got him here?" he asked gruffly.

"Woah!" Negan said, surprised. "What we talk about when you're not here, is none a' your business," he finished sternly.

Then, he threatened to put a toothpick through Carl's remaining eye.

Negan had Daryl right where he wanted him. Everything was in place. He had Carl to threaten, and the situation with Dwight and Sherry was like a sick warning of what Daryl had to look forward to. Both Sherry and Dwight looked miserable.

Negan told Dwight to take Daryl to mop and to go start the furnace. Dwight knew what was coming when Negan looked at his face and said, "Time for a little de ja vu."

Someone would be getting burned today.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Mirit went over to the serving table and looked around the cafeteria for Val. She saw him talking to a large, muscular man with a handle-bar mustache. The man smiled at Val and nodded. Then, Val turned and began walking in Mirit's direction, waving goodbye to the man as he walked.

When he saw Mirit, Val rushed over to her. He seemed excited.

"Mirit!"

"Did you eat?"

"Yes. I saw Negan earlier! He said that we could all get free vegetables for dinner!"

"That's good . . ." Mirit replied.

She told Val to come behind the counter and sit in a corner out of the way while she prepared to help serve food. Unfortunately, Mirit would not be able to eat anything herself for another hour. Then, she would take a ten-minute break and eat as much as she could in that time.

"There was a boy with him," Val said from his corner.

"He can't be back here," said one of the kitchen staff.

Mirit flinched.

Val looked alarmed.

"I'm sorry. There isn't anyone to watch him right now."

"There's a daycare in the Sanctuary."

"What?"

"You didn't know?"

"I just . . . never imagined . . ."

"Well, if he stays there and stays quiet . . . I guess for today, it wouldn't be a big deal."

"Thank you."

Mirit gave Val a look to be sure he had heard.

Val nodded and pulled his knees up, hugging them. It was going to be a long few hours for him.

Mirit could tell he was bursting to tell her what he had seen, and Mirit was almost as desperate to hear it, but she didn't let it show. The boy that Val had mentioned could have been the boy that Daryl had been worrying about. Curiosity agitated Mirit like an unscratched itch.

"But tomorrow, you need to drop him off at daycare."

"Where is that?" Mirit asked, forcing herself not to let her mind wander.

"It's on the other side of the building. You would just walk in that direction," the woman said, pointing. "When you reach the end of that hallway, it's on the left."

"Okay."

Mirit had no intention of leaving Val anywhere. She would have to figure out a way for him to stay with her. Maybe if she had him sit in the cafeteria, he could blend in and not be noticed. Mirit sighed. This place was oppressive.

Suddenly, a man came running up to the counter and said, "Hey! Negan's coming back again. He's called an assembly. Looks like someone broke the rules and needs to face the music."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw Dwight heating up the iron, and some of Negan's wives are here, too."

Mirit wondered how many wives Negan had. She had not really considered that before, and the thought occurred to her that there could be a great number of them.

"Alright, I'll let the rest of the staff know," said the kitchen worker.

* * *

The place was packed full of people. Mirit held Val's hand and pulled him to stand with her away from where the crowd was concentrated. He was too short to see anything from there, but Mirit had a decent view of Sherry and some of Negan's wives. They seemed distraught, and Mirit wondered what was so upsetting to them. She knew that whatever would be happening at this assembly would not be good.

Mirit looked around the room and saw that Dwight was standing near an oven. Nearby, a man sat, trembling in a chair. Then, Mirit saw Daryl.

He was holding a mop in his hands. It seemed like Daryl kept getting reassigned. This morning, he had left to go to cleaning duty.

Then, Mirit had seen him with the dead at the gate, and again gathering a platter of food in the kitchen. Now, he was cleaning again. Mirit felt uneasy about all these changes.

Daryl looked anxious, as well.

Something strange was happening today.

"Val, tell me about what happened earlier."

"Oh! Well, Negan came in with a boy, and everybody kneeled down. They were standing up there," Val said and pointed.

As if on cue, Negan entered with the teenager. He thumped his bat on the floor, and everyone knelt down. Negan gave a speech about the importance of rules and how the Saviors were bringing civilization back to the world.

Mirit wanted to gag. These people were anything but civilized. If anything, they resembled a cult.

Then, Negan revealed that the man in the chair had somehow "cut a corner" or failed to do his job properly.

Mirit trembled inadvertently, remembering the whipping she had gotten for not doing her job as directed. Mirit had been very lucky to have received the whipping instead of this.

Negan told everyone to stand and proceeded to take a red-hot iron out of the oven and burn the man's face with it. Perhaps Negan had not wanted to mar Mirit's face.

Mirit held Val and didn't let him turn his face toward the man's screams.

Val shook uncontrollably and started crying silently.

"It'll be okay," Mirit whispered to him.

* * *

 _"If you're still standin', it's always on somebody else's back."_

Sherry could not get Dwight's words out of her head. How could he be so callous about it? He had changed so much from the man she had married. Or had she just not known him that well after all?

Every time Sherry saw Daryl, she felt an immense guilt. The man had risked his life to save them without even knowing them. Sherry had not thought that someone could still be so self-less. Seeing that had touched her heart in a place she thought had died along with most of the world.

The problem was that their situation in the forest had been so hopeless. Hearing Daryl talk about his two friends, he hadn't even known if they were alive. Yet, he had had faith that they would all be safe. On top of that, Daryl trusted Dwight and Sherry. He'd told them everything openly and honestly. How had someone like him even survived?

Sherry shook her head to clear it. She didn't want to keep thinking about what she and Dwight had done. What could she ever do to make it right?

* * *

After the mopping, Daryl went back out to the gate with Dwight. It seemed like he would just keep filling in doing the worst jobs until the day finally ended. However, Daryl didn't care about that. He was thinking about Carl. How had the boy come here on his own?

Rick would not have allowed Carl to do it. He must not even know that his son was in danger.

Daryl couldn't stand the idea of another one of his family being brutally murdered. He felt as if he was on the verge of completely losing control and taking Negan out. Yet, Negan had not harmed Carl. He had threatened to, and that had kept Daryl from acting. Maybe, Carl could make it out of this alive. Maybe, Negan had some sick use for him, like he did for Daryl.

Daryl only wished he knew what Negan was thinking. Nothing he did made sense. They were all at the whim of a mad man.

Just then, Daryl saw Negan walking out of the building with Carl. They got into Negan's RV and drove through the gate. The vehicle stopped just outside the gate.

Negan called to Daryl, and Daryl walked over to him.

"You seem worried, so I'm takin' the kid home," Negan said, magnanimously.

"If you do anything to him . . ."

"Dwight! Daryl needs a timeout. Put him back in his box for a while."

Negan gave Daryl the finger as he was escorted away by Dwight. Here he had been doing something nice, and Daryl still insisted on being an asshole. Daryl really should be bowing down and kissing Negan's feet with gratitude for all the patience Negan had shown him.

As Daryl was dragged back to the cell, he happened to notice something moving on top of Negan's camper.

Jesus jumped down and hid among the dead positioned by the gate.

* * *

As Daryl sat in his cell, he thought about Jesus. Daryl remembered the fight he had had with Jesus when they'd first met. Jesus had tried to steal a truck of food from Daryl and Rick. It had taken both men to beat Jesus in a fight. Back then, Jesus had pulled the same stunt he'd pulled today. Daryl remembered his own words then, and they still seemed appropriate now. _The soma'bitch was on the roof._

If Jesus was here, maybe things weren't entirely hopeless. He was a good fighter, and he was stealthy. No one else had seen him.

Daryl wondered what Jesus was planning. Based on their previous interactions, Daryl knew that Jesus was a decent guy. Maybe Jesus would help Daryl.

Just as this thought came to Daryl's mind, he heard someone at the door. Daryl sat watching the door as a note slipped under it. Attached to the note were a key and a match.

 _"Go Now,"_ the note said.

* * *

Daryl maneuvered the hallways as quietly as he could. He made his way toward the kitchen, where he had last seen Mirit.

She was supposed to take a break at some point, and Daryl hoped to catch her alone. However, someone was in the hallway leading to the break room. Daryl heard them arguing, and a giant jar of pickles crashed to the floor and poured in front of Daryl.

Luckily, Daryl had been on the other side of a corner. He ducked into a nearby apartment that had been left unlocked.

Daryl made a quick search of the apartment and found no one. However, he did spot a full jar of peanut butter. Ravenous, he grabbed the peanut butter and ate it with his fingers. Then, he realized that this was also his opportunity to finally get out of the horrendous sweat suit they made the grunts wear in the Sanctuary.

Quickly, Daryl changed into a t-shirt. He looked around the room and saw something that turned his blood cold.

The truth was that Dwight, Sherry, and Tina had originally waylaid Daryl and taken him prisoner when they met him.

Daryl had found a moment to escape from the trio and taken the sack in which they had placed his cross-bow. However, he had discovered that there was also insulin in the sack. That had been the turning point for Daryl. He had felt the need to return the medicine to them even though they had treated him as a prisoner. His actions had eventually led to his trying to save the three and bring them back to Alexandria.

However, at the time, Daryl had taken a token from Dwight in exchange for the medicine. Now, Daryl stared at the figurine Dwight had traded him. Anger surged up inside him.

This must be Dwight's room.

Daryl looked around for anything that might belong to him.

Dwight had taken everything from him, including his clothes.

Unfortunately, Daryl was not able to find his stuff. He settled for a black pair of pants and a flannel shirt to wear over the t-shirt. Then, he grabbed a spoon he had found and cleaned out the rest of the peanut butter from the jar.

After he had finished eating, Daryl heard some people arguing in the hallway. A woman said, "Watch where you're going."

It was time for Daryl to get going. He stood and toppled the table with the figurine over. He knew what he had to do. He had to get his motorcycle. Whoever had helped him escape had given him the key. At least, Daryl could get that back from Dwight. Then, he would get Mirit and Val.

On his way out of the room, he grabbed a cap and a knife he had found. He pulled the cap down to cover his face as much as possible. Now, he would be less conspicuous that he had been in the sweat suit.

As he worked his way toward the break room, Daryl heard some voices. He peeked in and saw a group of men playing cards and getting served food by a man in a sweat suit. The room was small, but they had managed to squeeze in several chairs around the small table.

Daryl swore inwardly and kept going. Maybe he could catch Mirit when she came off her shift. He would get the motorcycle out and hidden first, so that they could make a fast break for it.

As he continued through the hallway, Daryl found some pipes and took one with him. The knife was good for close fighting and getting rid of walkers, but the pipe would be better for keeping guys away from him.

Finally, Daryl made it outside to where the motorcycles were kept. He hurried over to his bike and started to climb onto it when suddenly Fat Joseph came walking toward him.

"The hell?" said Fat Joseph before he realized who he was seeing.

The man was startled by Daryl's intense and piercing gaze and began shaking uncontrollably.

Daryl walked slowly toward Fat Joseph.

Fat Joseph dropped the sandwich he had been eating and put up his hands.

"Woah . . . woah . . . It's cool. I swear. Buddy, you can walk right out that back gate there, and I won't say anything to anybody. I'm supposed to be there now, but . . . Listen, I'm . . . I'm just trying to get by, just like you. Please."

The last word was almost a sob.

Daryl had reached Fat Joseph. He raised up the pipe and brought it down with the force of all the anger and hatred that had welled up inside him in this awful place. Then, he hit him again and again.

Blood sprayed from Fat Joseph's body, splashing Daryl in the face.

Jesus arrived just in time to witness part of Daryl's attack.

"Daryl . . ."

Daryl kept hitting.

Jesus cringed.

"Daryl," he said again after Daryl had finally stopped.

Jesus looked at the remains of Fat Joseph and then back at Daryl.

Daryl dropped the pipe and took a revolver off of Fat Joseph's body.

"It ain't just about gettin' by here," Daryl said, almost breathless from the exertion of killing the man. "It's about getting it all."

Jesus took the radio off of Fat Joseph's body, while Daryl got the motorcycle.

"I got the key. Let's go," Daryl said.

He eased his motorcycle back and rolled it toward the gate.

Jesus nodded to him as they eased the motorcycle quietly out of the gate.

"So far, they haven't tried to contact him," he said, referring to the man Daryl had killed.

"Good."

Daryl hid the motorcycle in some brush and walked back through the gate.

Jesus followed him, confused.

"What?"

"We can't leave yet."

"Why?"

Daryl thought about what he'd said to Jesus right after killing Fat Joseph. He couldn't have let the man live. There would have been no way to rescue the new members of his family.

"I haven't gotten it all yet."

"What do you mean?"

"There are some people we need to take with us."

"Daryl, are you sure you can trust . . ."

"Yeah. Let's go."

Daryl led the way, and the men worked their way stealthily back toward the kitchen.

Mirit should be getting off her shift soon.

* * *

Mirit felt exhausted. She had not been able to take a break to eat because some of Negan's men had decided to take over the break room and hold a poker tournament after the assembly. After washing the last of the lunch dishes, she had begun prepping the free veggies for the upcoming dinner.

"Hey, I am feeling a little dizzy," Mirit said to the woman who had been serving lunch with her earlier in the day.

"It is pretty hot in here. We should open the door."

"I'll get it. I'm gunna eat an apple, too. I didn't get a break yet today."

"Sure. You'll need the energy for tonight. It's not every day stuff gets given away for free."

"Thanks," Mirit said.

Val had fallen asleep in the corner by the serving counter.

Mirit woke him up and gave him an apple. She helped him up and led him toward the kitchen door.

Together, the two had been eating and enjoying the fresh air. Suddenly, Mirit heard a whistle. She turned and looked for the sound, but didn't see anything.

The whistle came again, and Mirit turned her head slightly. Daryl was waving at her from behind a nearby truck.

Mirit thought back to what Daryl had asked her earlier that day.

Could this be it? Were they really going to leave? Now?

She dropped the core to the apple she'd been eating.

Val had finished his first and already discarded the core

Mirit took Val's hand. Then, she got down to his ear-level and whispered to him.

"Val, we need to leave. Right now. You need to come with me, quickly and quietly."

Val knew that his sister meant what she was saying. She had practiced this with him. If she ever said that he needed to go with her quickly and quietly, he had to do exactly that. Val nodded and did not hesitate.

Together, they ran toward Daryl and freedom.

* * *

The introductions had been brief, and then the group had left immediately. Four people on a motorcycle made for a more awkward journey than two, but no one was complaining. Everyone was grateful to be out of the Sanctuary.

Mirit sat on Daryl's lap, facing him. She held him tight as they sped away.

Jesus held Val and sat behind Daryl.

Mirit rested her chin on Daryl's shoulder and watched the two the entire way to the Hilltop.

Jesus smiled amicably at her.

The wind felt good, but the freedom felt better. Mirit could feel the excitement in her stomach for what would happen now. She knew that they would need to fight to keep their freedom, but it was a fight she wanted to take on.

Negan had no way of getting to Val. The gloves were off.

They arrived at the Hilltop, and were allowed to enter. Jesus led them to the main house.

"Are you the _real_ Jesus?" asked Val.

"The one from the Bible? No."

"You _really_ look like him, though."

"Yeah. That's how I got the nickname."

"Oh. What's your real name?"

"Paul."

Val looked at him incredulously.

Jesus smiled.

"I know. Completely different, right."

"It's another name from the Bible. . . ." Val said.

Jesus started laughing.

Mirit looked at Daryl and smiled. He had interesting friends.

Once inside the house, Jesus showed them to the kitchen because they all looked half starved. They heated up and ate some canned beef stew and made a fresh salad with some produce from the garden.

Mirit winced when she saw the produce, thinking of the work she had left behind. They were pretty busy. Maybe they wouldn't notice she was missing for a while.

"Hey, would you like to get cleaned up?" Jesus asked Daryl.

Daryl nodded. He had wiped Fat Joseph's blood from his face before going to get Mirit and Val, but he still felt filthy from the day. He also wanted to take off the blood-stained clothing.

Jesus went and got some clean clothes for Daryl. Then, he showed him to a room upstairs that had a bathroom of its own.

Mirit and Val explored the house. Val was amazed at how large and luxurious it was.

"It's a mansion," Mirit said.

Jesus came down and showed them around. He showed them a library, which made Val very excited. He immediately picked out a book and asked if he could read it.

Jesus looked at Mirit. She had a peaceful expression on her face, but she looked tired.

"Let me show you to your room."

Jesus showed them to a nearby camper.

Val went in and sat on top of one of the two beds and turned on a light. He opened his book and began reading happily.

"Where's Daryl?" Mirit asked.

"He's taking a shower. Once he's done, I will take him to his room, too."

"We want to stay together."

Jesus was surprised.

"How do you know Daryl?"

"Um . . . it's . . . I think . . . maybe he should tell you," Mirit said.

Jesus noted that the woman's face turned bright red. He wondered who she was. He had never met her in Alexandria. As far as he knew, Daryl had lived alone.

* * *

Daryl relished the warm water as it rinsed away the grime, sweat, blood, and misery of the day. He was free. They were free. Somehow, Daryl had managed to escape the Sanctuary with Mirit and Val.

Daryl closed his eyes, and thoughts of the last bath he'd taken came to his mind. Who would have thought that so much could change so quickly? He was a married man.

Daryl got dressed and went outside. He met Jesus in front of the big house, and they went to pay their respects to Glenn and Abraham.

"Maggie comes out every day to visit."

"Maggie's here?"

"Yes, and Sasha and Enid. I checked in on them after I showed Mirit and Val to their camper."

Daryl nodded. He had suspected that the news of Maggie's death had been a ruse. He had seen the exchange between Rick and Father Gabriel.

Daryl felt conflicted. On the one hand, he would be happy to see Maggie again. On the other, he was terrified that she would never forgive him for what happened to Glenn. Daryl knelt down and put a flower he'd picked from near the house onto Glenn's grave.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Suddenly, Daryl heard Maggie calling Sasha and Enid. He stood and looked at Jesus.

"Someone must be at the gate. She likes to keep watch."

Daryl nodded.

The men walked toward the gate.

Rick, Michonne, Carl, Rosita, and Tara had come to the Hilltop.

They took turns hugging Daryl, welcoming him back home.

Then, Daryl took the revolver he had taken from the Sanctuary. He held it out to Rick.

 _Come on, man. It's time to fight,_ he thought.

Rick took the gun and saw that it was loaded.

The sheriff was back in town.

Daryl could see in his eyes that Rick was done bowing and scraping.

The group walked back toward the big house together.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As he and his people made their way back toward the Sanctuary, Negan thought about how the day had gone. So much had happened already, and the day wasn't over yet. Last time Negan had left Alexandra, he had felt like he'd made some real progress, but now an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

Things seemed to be taking an odd turn in his life since he'd come across the group from Alexandria. First, they had killed so many of his men, and now Carl and Rosita had both challenged him in the same day. Negan really admired their strength and ability. Why weren't his people so badass?

He wanted nothing more than to convert those people into his people, but they kept making things difficult. Negan had never dealt with such strong-willed individuals before. It was like a double-edged sword. On the one side, Negan loved finally having people around that he'd like to get to know. On the other, they kept trying to kill him.

Something would need to change. Negan couldn't keep being the nice guy in this situation. Today, he'd really gone above and beyond. He'd brought Carl safely home, cooked Rick's family dinner, and babysat his precious baby girl. Then, he'd killed the cowardly, pathetic guy who wanted to take over Rick's role in Alexandria. He'd even shown mercy to Rosita, and that had resulted in the elimination of a fairly worthless member of Rick's team.

However, Negan had taken one asset away from Rick. Eugene would be a great worker for Negan.

Negan smiled. He couldn't wait to start manufacturing his own bullets.

Unfortunately, his smile didn't stay on his face for very long. The truck had stopped suddenly, and Negan had not ordered it to.

"What the hell are we stopping for?" Negan asked the driver.

"There're dead in the way."

Negan looked far up the road and saw a shit-ton of dead blocking them. A herd of dead had made their way into the center of the road. Now, they ambled about aimlessly looking for someone to eat, listening intently for any signs of life.

Negan sighed.

Fat Joseph was supposed to have fixed the system of automated weapons that had been diverting the dead away from the Sanctuary. What the hell was the man doing all this time? It should have been repaired by now.

"Shit," Negan said.

This day was just not getting better.

"I'm not gunna sit here waiting for that to clear up. See if you can contact Fat Joseph and find out what the holdup is."

Fat Joseph proved unreachable, and nobody seemed to know where he'd disappeared to. Negan decided to go ahead and change their plans for the day.

"Fuck it. Let's go pay Brutus a visit."

* * *

"Good news. I just heard a call go through from Negan to the Sanctuary. They had to take a detour away from the Sanctuary because of the walkers blocking the road. Looks like we have a little more time than we thought," Jesus said to Rick and Daryl.

"Good, we could use it. The inventory of weapons here is not goin' to be enough for us to win against Negan. We could use the time to try and get some more. Maybe we can get somethin' better'n what we already got, too," Daryl suggested.

"Yeah. Even if _King_ Ezekiel decides to join the fight, we could use more firepower," Rick agreed.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Rick opened the door and looked at the woman standing on the other side of it.

"Um . . . excuse me. I was looking for Daryl. . . ." she said.

Daryl looked at Mirit and felt a surge of anxiety flutter in his chest.

Jesus watched Daryl and noticed that he had inhaled sharply upon seeing Mirit.

Daryl held his breath for a second before talking.

"Uh . . . There's somethin' I gotta tell you," Daryl said, looking at Rick.

Rick looked at him, puzzled.

Daryl motioned for Mirit to come in, and he closed the door behind her.

Rick and Jesus looked at Daryl as he stood next to Mirit.

"This is my wife, Mirit."

Jesus nodded in comprehension, now understanding why the woman had insisted on staying with Daryl.

Rick looked shocked, cocked his head to the side, and opened his mouth. He closed and opened his mouth two more times before the words finally came out.

"Your . . . wife?"

"Yeah."

Mirit looked at the three men one at a time. She'd seemed to have caused a very awkward moment among them. She smiled shyly.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

"How long have you been married?" Rick asked.

Had Daryl kept this secret from them the whole time they'd known him? Or thought they'd known him?

Rick couldn't imagine that, but the alternative was that Daryl had somehow gotten married while he was Negan's prisoner. That thought just didn't sit right with Rick.

If Daryl had kept the secret, maybe he had been devastated by the thought that she'd died. Then, he'd found her again somehow.

Daryl had always been a loner. Rick had never seen Daryl trying to develop a romantic relationship with anyone. It would make sense if this was the reason.

However, Daryl's next words shattered the fantasy explanation Rick had concocted.

"Not long."

"You got _married?_ While you were _there?_ I need to speak to you alone for a minute."

Daryl nodded to Jesus, and Jesus took the hint. He motioned for Mirit to go with him.

Mirit looked confused for a few seconds, and then went with Jesus. Outside the door, she whispered to him.

"He didn't look too happy. Who is he?"

"That's Rick. He's the leader of Alexandria. Daryl's his second-in-command."

"Oh."

"So, you and Daryl are married?"

"Yes."

"And you don't know anyone from Alexandria?"

"No."

Alexandria. That was where Daryl had lived before the Sanctuary.

Mirit had lived on Vesta Avenue. They had thought themselves lucky to have the families on the block alive.

Alexandria sounded like it could be a whole town or city. Could that many people have survived?

Jesus and Mirit walked down the hall and entered another office.

Jesus couldn't keep his curiosity in check anymore. He had been wondering about this woman and her little brother since Daryl had insisted on their rescue. The fact that Daryl had met her at the Sanctuary may be a source of contention between Daryl and the others. Never mind that Negan must have allowed the wedding. Jesus did not feel that she posed a threat, but he wanted to know her story, just in case.

"So how did you end up marrying Daryl?"

* * *

After Jesus and Mirit left the room, Rick had said, "Tell me what happened."

"They had me in a cell. They were torturin' me."

Rick had not known, but he had suspected as much when he had seen Daryl the day Negan had brought him along to take away most of Alexandria's supplies.

"Then, one day they sent in Mirit. I think he wanted to have someone to hold over me."

"But . . . if Negan sent her . . ."

Daryl knew what Rick was implying.

"Mirit's not one of them. She's like us."

"How can you be sure?"

"Ask her the three questions. Talk to her. You'll see."

Rick half shook his head then stopped. He trusted Daryl, but torture could change a person. Maybe his judgment had been impaired. The thought of Daryl marrying someone while he was imprisoned just seemed wrong.

"Did he force you to marry her?"

Daryl flinched.

It was a fleeting moment in time, but Rick caught it.

"He _did._ "

"Not really. I mean . . . kind of. It's complicated."

Daryl did not want to go into detail about how he'd ended up married to Mirit.

"Negan wanted someone to hold over me, like he has with Dwight . . . and you . . . . He uses the people you care about to control you."

"But you don't have feelings for her. How could his plan possibly work?"

Daryl hesitated in responding, and Rick continued.

"I mean, he could force you to marry her. He could even threaten her, but he couldn't make her your _real_ wife. I've been married. That's not something that can be forced."

"Yeah."

Daryl didn't know how to explain how he felt to Rick.

Rick looked at Daryl and thought about the situation for a moment.

"I get it. It's a responsibility. Like with Olivia. She was innocent, and she didn't deserve to die."

"Olivia's dead?"

Rick looked at Daryl sadly.

"We weren't able to save her from Negan, after all."

Daryl felt sad about Olivia's death, but anger at Negan flushed the feeling away like a spark being extinguished by a flash flood.

"You're not responsible for this woman, Daryl. She's free now. You don't owe her anything more. . . ."

"She's my wife, and I'll do right by her."

Rick didn't understand why Daryl felt obligated to the woman.

"Do you love her?"

Daryl looked surprised for an instant, then turned his face away from Rick in embarrassment. He had not thought about his own feelings deeply enough to really know how to answer that question. Everything at the Sanctuary had been so intense and all-consuming. Every moment in time had been magnified and concentrated. It felt like a lifetime had passed there.

Rick watched Daryl's uncomfortable reaction, and the realization struck him that Daryl did have feelings for Mirit. He put his hand on his forehead and slid it down his face to cover his open mouth. Then, he moved his hand away before he spoke.

"Okay. It's none 'a my business. I'm sorry. I'll talk to her, like you said. I'm sure she's alright," Rick said.

Daryl sighed in relief and turned back toward Rick. The man was like a brother to him, and what he thought really mattered to Daryl. He wanted Rick to be okay with this.

"Thanks."

"We'll wait to tell the others until after I talk to her. I want to be able to answer any of their questions."

Daryl nodded. He was grateful that Rick had taken this upon himself, considering how difficult it had been for him to answer Rick's questions.

Rick, however, wasn't thinking of sparing Daryl. He was thinking of Michonne.

She and the other women would most certainly have questions about Mirit, and, as the leader, it was Rick's responsibility to be sure that those questions were properly addressed.

Mirit was an unknown person, who had come from the Sanctuary.

Negan had wanted her and Daryl together for a reason.

Rick had to be sure that Daryl's judgment had not been compromised by torture, brainwashing, or his feelings.

* * *

"I had the option to marry Daryl or one of Negan's men. He was said to be a violent man, who had already killed two wives. Daryl married me to save me."

"So, Negan forced you and Daryl into getting married?"

"In a sense. I mean . . ."

Mirit paused. Was that all it boiled down to?

Daryl was a good man. He had made himself vulnerable by marrying Mirit because he wanted to help her. Maybe Daryl felt like he owed her for risking her life to help him. Now, things were different.

Daryl had rescued Mirit and Val. Maybe, he just wanted things to go back to the way they were before the Sanctuary.

Mirit sighed deeply and covered her face with her hands. She slumped onto a chair. Mirit thought about the decision she'd made to be Daryl's wife. She remembered the night they'd spent together and the way she'd felt in his arms.

Jesus was alarmed by Mirit's response.

"Are you okay?"

Mirit's body shook involuntarily, and she moved her head slowly from side to side without looking up from her hands. She didn't understand her own reaction.

Of course, it made sense that things would change now. Daryl had a life here, and his friends and family.

Mirit didn't know anything about them. Would she have fit in? Maybe if circumstances had been different, but Mirit was a stranger here to everyone.

Would they let her and Val stay? Would it be safe here? Would she have to say goodbye to Daryl?

Jesus went over to Mirit and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't cry . . ."

Mirit looked up at his face. She did not have tears in her eyes, but she was clearly distraught.

"I'm okay," she lied.

"You're a lousy liar."

Mirit gasped a half laugh.

"You love him."

It wasn't a question.

"I dunno . . ."

Jesus nodded.

She really wasn't good at lying.

"I barely know him," Mirit continued.

"You know things with your brain. Love happens here," Jesus said, pointing to his heart with two fingers.

Mirit stared at him. She couldn't help but smile at the man.

"You are a little like the real Jesus."

Jesus smiled back.

"Let's go back down to the kitchen. You look like you could use a glass of water."

Mirit nodded and followed Jesus out of the room. However, they did not make it to the kitchen.

Rick and Daryl stood in the hallway. They had come out of the conference room looking for Mirit and Jesus.

"Hey," Daryl said when he saw them.

Mirit was grateful for the poor light in the hallway. She did her best to change her expression from one of profound sadness to impassivity.

"Mirit, is it? Hi, I'm Rick. Sorry I didn't introduce myself before," Rick said, extending his hand to her.

Mirit shook his hand but did not say anything.

"We were just on our way to the kitchen to get some water," Jesus said.

"Oh. Well, I was hoping to talk to you for a minute. Would that be okay?" Rick asked Mirit.

Jesus looked at Mirit. He didn't think that the woman was up to the conversation Rick looked like he wanted to have right then. However, just as Jesus was about to say something, Daryl spoke instead.

"Mirit? Are you okay?"

Daryl's eyes had adjusted to the light in the hallway, and he didn't like what he saw.

Mirit was pale in the dim light, and she had a fake smile pasted on her face. She looked like she might be in pain.

Daryl rushed to her side and put his arm protectively around her. He looked into her eyes.

Mirit was alarmed by his reaction. She must be doing a bad job of hiding her emotions if Daryl was this worried. Still, Mirit couldn't help but feel comforted by his presence and his touch.

Maybe he wouldn't leave her.

Rick had been watching Mirit from the moment she'd walked out of the door down the hall, and he did not like what he saw. The woman seemed very nervous. Seeing Daryl react to her emotional state had also cemented in Rick's mind that Daryl did indeed have feelings for her. Unfortunately, Rick wasn't sure she could be trusted.

Mirit took a deep breath.

"I'm okay, Daryl. I guess it's just been a long day."

Mirit leaned into Daryl. He was so warm.

"Maybe now isn't a good time," Daryl said to Rick.

Mirit looked at Rick and saw that he was not happy with what Daryl had said. She didn't want to cause problems between them.

"It's okay. Really, I'm fine."

"I'll go get you that glass of water," Jesus said.

Mirit nodded.

"We can go back into the conference room," Rick suggested and turned to walk into the room.

Jesus left to go to the kitchen.

Daryl and Mirit followed Rick into the conference room.

"You don't have to be nervous," Rick said, partly to let Mirit know that he was aware of her anxiety.

"Okay," Mirit replied.

Rick gaged her response.

She hadn't denied feeling nervous. That was a positive sign.

Rick smiled.

"Okay. Well, before we say anything else, I'd like to ask you three questions."

Mirit looked at Daryl.

He nodded to her.

She looked at Rick and nodded.

"How many walkers have you killed?"

"Dozens."

"How many people have you killed?"

Mirit hesitated. She looked Rick in the eyes.

"None," she said.

"Why?"

"The . . . walkers . . . I killed some to learn how to kill them. That was so I could survive and help my family to survive. Later, I killed some to keep them from killing us. . . . me and Val. I never killed anyone living because I . . . I'm not a killer. Maybe I could kill someone, if they threatened Val or someone else I loved. Maybe even to protect myself . . . I don't know. I think, I could. But I haven't."

Mirit felt conflicted. She felt like she could have fought harder against Negan and his men. Maybe she should have tried to find a way to kill Negan. The man had killed her family directly and indirectly. Part of Mirit wanted revenge. Yet, the other part of her hated what Negan was, and she didn't want to be like him. Integrity was so hard to maintain in this world.

"Alright," Rick said.

He seemed to relax; then he looked at Daryl.

There was a knock at the door, and Jesus entered with a glass of water.

As Mirit drank the water, Rick walked over to Daryl and began to whisper to him.

"You're right. She's not like them, but she's not like us, either. Not the way we are now."

Daryl knew what Rick meant. Mirit was like they used to be before they could have imagined that they could kill preemptively. Everything had changed when they had killed the sleeping men at Negan's outpost. Would Mirit be able to become like they were now? Would Daryl want her to?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Okay. I think it's time to let everyone else know," Rick said.

Daryl nodded. He wanted to get this over with.

Mirit looked like she'd been through the ringer. She was relieved when Rick left to go gather the others.

Rick had asked her a lot of questions.

Mirit hadn't known how to answer some of them. She hadn't wanted to talk about certain things, and many of her answers had been vague.

"I'll go check on Val," Jesus offered.

He figured that the boy would be wondering where Mirit was, and Daryl and Mirit could use some time alone to talk before Mirit was subjected to another interrogation.

"Thank you," Mirit said.

It was like Jesus could read her mind. Jesus had been like a guardian angel in this place, looking out for her.

When Mirit had come looking for Daryl, she hadn't expected things to unfold the way they had. She had been looking for Daryl because she'd wanted to talk to him alone. Now that she had the chance, she felt a little awkward.

"I'm sorry about this. It's just a little hard ta explain ta them what happened," Daryl said when they were finally alone.

"I know what you mean. . . . Do you think they'll accept me?"

Mirit winced as she heard herself ask the question. It sounded like something out of a romantic comedy where the girlfriend was afraid the mother-in-law wouldn't approve of her. Only, there were several women instead of one mother-in-law.

"Sure. They'll have ta get to know ya, but I think they'll get along with you."

The question Mirit really wanted to ask stuck in her throat. She coughed to clear it.

"Daryl . . . what about . . . us?"

"Us?"

Mirit looked into his eyes and blushed.

Daryl couldn't answer her question. He wasn't sure what should happen now. He'd told Rick that he'd do right by Mirit. He'd told Rick that she was his wife, but what if she didn't want that anymore. Things were different now. They were free. Daryl hesitated, digesting this realization.

"What do you want to happen?" he asked.

Before Mirit could answer, the door opened and the people from Alexandria began to file in.

Once everyone had entered the room, Rick closed the door. He looked around and noticed that someone was missing.

"Jesus went to check on Val for me," Mirit said when she saw his quizzical expression.

Rick nodded.

"Okay," he said, turning to the others. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Mirit."

The group looked at Mirit curiously. No one had ever seen her before.

"Hi," Mirit said.

Everyone greeted her, some nodding in her direction, others saying hello.

"She's my wife," Daryl said, suddenly.

Everyone gaped at him.

Rick's mouth had opened to break the news to everyone, and it stayed open when Daryl preempted him. He turned to face Daryl.

Michonne's face showed instant confusion and distrust of what she'd just heard.

Tara looked astounded.

Carl turned his face to stare at his father, knowing that an explanation would need to be coming.

Sasha's eyes widened in amazement.

Rosita scowled, suspiciously.

Maggie covered her mouth in surprise.

Enid looked at Carl, not knowing what to make of the revelation. Then, she looked at Rick, since that's where Carl was looking.

"I can answer any questions," Rick said, diverting everyone's attention back to him.

"How?" Michonne asked.

"When?" asked Carl.

"Who is she?" Rosita asked.

"Okay. One at a time," Rick said. "They were married at the Sanctuary."

"What!" exclaimed Sasha.

"Give me a minute to explain," said Rick. "I've been talking to Mirit for the last hour, and I have the answers you're lookin' for.

"Negan forced them into a marriage in order to control Daryl and Mirit. He put Daryl in a cell and assigned Mirit to take care of him. He threatened Mirit's little brother if she didn't listen to him. He threatened to hurt Mirit if Daryl didn't obey him. It's what Negan does, like he did with Olivia."

Everyone bowed their heads in an unconscious moment of remembrance for their fallen friend.

After a brief pause, Rick continued, "Daryl brought her and her brother, Val, with him when he escaped."

"How do we know she's not a spy for Negan?" Rosita asked.

Michonne looked at Rosita and nodded in agreement.

Mirit seemed startled by the question. The thought had never occurred to her that she would have been suspected of working with Negan. It seemed logical enough, now that the woman brought it up.

"I don't work for Negan. . . . I don't know how I would prove that to you, though . . ."

"Ya don't gotta prove nuthin'. She ain't no spy. I wouldn'ta brought her here if she was," said Daryl.

"Having talked to her, I don't think she's a spy, either," added Rick.

Mirit appreciated the vote of confidence.

"Let me get this straight. So, Negan forced you two to marry each other? Why? So he could control you by threatening each other? Why would your being married make any difference at all?" Sasha asked Daryl and Mirit.

"Right. I asked the same thing," Rick interrupted.

Rick didn't feel comfortable revealing Daryl's feelings to the group, and he knew that Daryl would feel even less comfortable. There was a piece of the story that was missing. How had Daryl come to care about Mirit enough to call her his wife and mean it? Whatever had happened at the Sanctuary between Daryl and Mirit, it wasn't their place to force them to share it.

"It was just another way for Negan to control them. He noticed that they were getting to know each other, and he used it against them," Rick continued.

"So, they were becoming friends," Enid added.

Rick nodded in her direction.

The group could understand that. If Daryl and Mirit had developed a friendship while Daryl was a prisoner, that explained why it mattered to Daryl if she was threatened.

"But they aren't in the Sanctuary anymore," Michonne said. "They didn't get married by choice. Why continue to act like they are? It's invalid."

Rick looked at Daryl.

Daryl turned to face Mirit.

Michonne's point was legitimate.

Daryl had not waited to hear Mirit's response before he'd blurted out that she was his wife. He tensed, waiting to hear what she would say now.

Mirit looked back at Daryl and realized that he was not going to respond to what Michonne had asked. Was Daryl really leaving the choice up to her? Did he still feel like he owed her something? Did he want to be married to her? Mirit couldn't answer the question until she knew how he really felt about it.

"I'm sorry, but I think that that decision is something private between Daryl and me. Whether we feel it's valid or not, is between us," Mirit said, looking Michonne directly in the eyes.

Michonne took the opportunity to search Mirit's eyes for any sign of deception. What she saw instead surprised her.

A spark of fire resided in those eyes.

In response, Michonne's expression showed a bit of admiration.

"Fair enough," she replied.

Carl stared at Mirit remembering Negan's wives. At the Sanctuary, women had been treated like commodities. Negan had given his wives a life of luxury in exchange for their loyalty and sex. Was this woman like Negan's wives? Did she just see Daryl as a way to an easier life?

"You were alone before. How did you survive?" Carl asked Mirit.

Mirit was surprised by the question, but relieved that the topic had changed away from her relationship with Daryl.

"I just did. Same as anyone else, I had to find food, water, and shelter. I fought the dead."

"Are you afraid of walkers?"

"Sometimes. Most of the time, I just force myself not to think about them."

"Before you were alone, how did you survive?"

"I lived with my family and neighbors in a tenement. I started to go out to scavenge with them after my uncle trained me."

"Trained you?"

Everyone was following the conversation quietly as Carl asked Mirit questions.

"Yes. He was in the military. He taught me how to fight hand-to-hand a little, and how to kill walkers," Mirit responded.

"Then, Negan caught you."

"That was later, but he did catch us."

"Must have been hard, living in the Sanctuary."

"Yeah. . . ."

"What did you get in exchange for marrying Daryl?"

"I got to marry a decent guy, rather than a monster."

"Negan offered to marry you?"

"No. . . ."

Her hesitation threw Carl. She was lying. However, if Negan _had_ offered to marry her, why would she have chosen Daryl? She would have been set with Negan.

"You wanted to get out of that place, no matter what. Didn't you?" Carl asked.

Mirit didn't like the way the boy was looking at her. There was something a little savage in his expression. His one eye glared into her soul.

"I wanted to get out of there," she confirmed.

"And you can't stay out of there without help. If you were all alone, they'd catch you again."

Mirit reeled at the things Carl had just said. She felt suddenly dizzy.

"I wouldn't want that to happen," she admitted. "But, I wouldn't let it happen again."

Carl did not expect the second part of her response.

"What do you mean?"

"I want to be a part of this community. I want to help you fight Negan. We have to take Negan down. It's not safe as long as he is out there, not for anyone."

"If you fight, you could die," Carl pointed out.

"I know."

"What about your brother?"

Mirit stopped to think about what would happen to her brother if she died.

"Wouldn't it be better for you to take him and run? You could take a car, and just go away from what's happening here, as far and as fast as possible," Carl said.

Carl had a point. Maybe their chances of survival were better if they ran away. There must be some place to hide eventually. Negan's men couldn't have taken over the whole world. However, Mirit knew in her heart that she could not do that.

"You're right. Our chances might be better out there, but I am not going to run away. I will stay and fight. I will fight to keep my brother safe for as long as I can. What would my life mean out there? Not any more than right here, right now."

"Okay," Maggie said, interrupting the conversation.

She felt that this had taken too long, and they needed to get back to reality.

"We have a lot to do to prepare for the fight that's comin'," Maggie continued. "We could use as many people willin' to fight as we can get. I say, welcome to the Hilltop."

Maggie extended her hand to Mirit.

Mirit took her hand and shook it gratefully.

"I thought this was Alexandria. . . ." Mirit said, confused.

The tension in the room broke instantly when everyone started laughing.

* * *

Daryl was relieved that his friends were finally giving Mirit a chance, but he felt too awkward to deal with any questions they may ask him. It had been hard enough answering Rick's questions. He snuck out of the conference room while Mirit and his friends got to know each other.

Jesus was standing in the hallway.

"Hey Daryl, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"'Bout what?"

"Mirit."

Daryl cursed inwardly. He hadn't gotten away, after all.

"What about her?"

Jesus motioned for Daryl to follow him downstairs. He didn't want anyone to overhear their conversation.

Daryl walked with him, and followed him outside.

"What is it?" Daryl asked, perplexed.

"She said that you would want to stay with her and Val, but when I set up the temporary room assignments I didn't know you two were married."

"What?"

"I put her and Val in a camper, but the place is pretty small and only has two twin beds. Still, she insisted that she should be with you. Your place is even smaller, though. I basically got you a cot in one of the offices. . . ."

"Oh."

Daryl hadn't thought that far ahead. However, that thought was superseded by another almost instantly. He verbalized it.

"She 'insisted' that we should be livin' together?"

"Yeah."

Mirit must not want things to change between them if she wanted Daryl to live with her.

Daryl couldn't keep himself from smiling, but quickly wiped the expression off his face to keep Jesus from noticing it.

Jesus didn't miss it.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I'll talk to her about it. Might be better to follow your original plan for now. I was thinkin' of goin' on a run to look for some weapons early tomorrow, anyway."

"Who's going with you?"

"Dunno yet, wanted to talk to Rick about it. Then, all that happened with Mirit. . . . I guess, I'll catch him after dinner."

"Let me know. I'll go with you, if you want."

"Alright. I'll let you know after I talk ta Rick."

* * *

As Mirit let the warm water pour over her in the shower, she thought about the day. So much had happened that it seemed like a bunch of days had been squished into one. She couldn't believe that they were finally free. Mirit felt like any minute she would awaken and find that everything had been a dream. She shuddered at the thought and pinched herself, relieved to find that this was, in fact, reality.

After she had been properly introduced to the people from Alexandria, Mirit had spoken to some of them to get an idea of what had happened. She had discovered that Rick and his people had already challenged Negan.

They had not known who Negan was or how powerful. That mistake had caused the death of two of their companions, and Daryl had been taken prisoner. The group was then forced into servitude, but they did not plan on staying that way.

Mirit had heard them talking outside. They were saying that they planned to meet up with another group leader and try to convince him to bring his people into the fight.

When Carl had asked Mirit his series of questions, she had felt a surge of anger inside her. She could not stand the thought of running away again when there was a chance that they could actually do something to get rid of Negan. It hadn't made sense for one woman and a child to fight, but things were different now. She felt like she had to be a part of this.

The only problem was Val. Mirit had to find a place for him to stay safe, away from the fighting. Also, if she died, who would care for him? These things weighed heavily on her mind. Who could be trusted here?

Mirit thought of the people she had met.

Rick, Michonne, and Carl were a family. Even though Carl was just a child, he was a fighter. He would not sit on the sidelines.

Sasha, Rosita, Tara, and Jesus would also join the direct fight.

Then, there were Maggie and Enid. Mirit did not think they would participate in the actual fighting.

Mirit had overheard them talking.

Enid had mentioned that Maggie should try not to get too worked up over the fight to come because she had to think of her baby. She had looked at Maggie's stomach when she spoke. Enid seemed to want to take care of Maggie, and she did not look like a fighter.

Mirit marveled at the thought that Maggie was pregnant. She seemed so strong, and people looked up to her. Yet, she couldn't take part in a direct fight that would put her baby's life at risk. Even so, something about Maggie inspired confidence in Mirit. Maybe, wherever Maggie went would be a safe place for Val, too.

* * *

Daryl went to get Mirit and Val at their camper to bring them to dinner.

Mirit had fallen asleep, and Val opened the door.

"Hey."

"Hi! Mirit's sleeping."

Daryl nodded and motioned for Val to let him in.

Val moved aside and let Daryl enter. Then, he went to a chair and sat down.

"How you doin'?" Daryl asked.

"I'm okay. It's nicer here than the other place. Not so many scary people."

Daryl smiled.

"Yeah. We have to keep it that way."

Daryl walked over to a bed in one corner of the camper and looked at Mirit.

She looked very peaceful as she slept.

Daryl sat on the edge of the bed and put his hand on her shoulder. He shook her gently.

Mirit groaned and opened her eyes. Upon seeing Daryl, she came instantly awake. She sat up.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

"What's going on?"

"Mirit, I won't be able to stay with you tonight. I'm plannin' on leavin' early in the mornin' on a run. Plus this bed's really too small for two people."

Daryl smiled at Mirit.

She looked disappointed.

"You're leaving?"

"Just for the day. I can't stay away too long, but it's worth a shot to see if I could find some kind of weapons."

Suddenly, Mirit's eyes lit up.

"Daryl! I know where there are some weapons."

"What?"

"My uncle had a cache of weapons he liberated from an old armory. Maybe a dozen or so, an assortment of rifles and guns. A few grenades. Plus, there were several cases of ammo. I took a gun and some bullets when I escaped the first time with Val, but I couldn't carry that much."

"Could you mark the location on a map for me?"

"No. Where he hid them, I'd have to show you."

Daryl looked unhappy with the response. He didn't want to take Mirit on the run with him. It would be hard for him not to worry about her, especially now. They had only just escaped, and Negan's men were everywhere.

"Mark the location on a map, and give me a description of the hiding place. I'll find it."

"I want to go with you. I can do it."

"Forget it."

"Daryl . . ."

"Come on, it's time for dinner."

"But . . ."

"We'll talk about it later. I need to talk to Rick first, anyway."

"What's for dinner?" Val asked.

He had rushed over as soon as he'd heard the word. Val was very hungry.

Mirit smiled at Val and let the subject drop, but she would not allow herself to be left behind.

However, Daryl was confident that he would get Mirit to reveal the location to him without taking her along.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"I didn't expect to see you today, Sir."

"Surprise inspection," Negan said and grinned.

Brutus nodded and called some of his men over. He ordered them to get the ledgers and began debriefing Negan about their progress on increasing the outpost's security.

Negan had ordered the outposts to increase security measures after Rick and his people had killed everyone inside one of the outposts as they slept.

"We started using the dead wall in front of the gate."

"Yeah. I saw that on the way in. Looks like you went narrower with the passage."

"No one can get in or out safely if they aren't in a car. If any intruders try to drive up to the gate, we also have a truck full of dead that we can let loose on them using a remote control that opens the latch on the truck door. That's over there," Brutus said, pointing to a truck hidden several hundred feet away from the gate.

"Nice. Whose idea was that?"

"Fat Joey gave me the idea before I left the Sanctuary."

Negan made an irritated face.

Fat Joseph had not reported back to Negan before the long-range radio went out of range.

Negan would have to wait for Fat Joseph's response to be relayed back to this outpost through the network of outposts on the way here. At least the herd they had seen on the road had not noticed them and followed them here. That would have been another headache.

Still, if Fat Joseph did not respond soon, Negan did not plan on waiting patiently. He would order his men to go and start clearing out the blockage. As much fun as it was to make the men at the outpost sweat, Negan wanted to get home. His wives were waiting.

* * *

After the inspection was complete, Negan went to the special quarters he had at this outpost. Every outpost had the best room set aside for Negan in case he came to visit for a while. Negan sat on a semi-comfortable recliner and listened for a reply on his radio.

"Sir, the Sanctuary reports that the redirect is still non-functional."

"What the fuck is taking so long?"

Another pause.

Negan felt like throwing the radio against the wall, but he knew that would not make anything better. He waited for the next response. It came a little faster than he'd expected.

"Fat Joey is M. I. A. He wasn't at his post, and he wasn't out in the field repairing the trip-wire network."

"Is anyone else on it?"

"They said they are trying to figure it out, Sir."

Negan cursed inwardly.

Fat Joseph may seem useless to anyone who saw him, but the man was clever. He had many good ideas, and he was able to make his ideas happen. Where the hell had he disappeared to?

Negan knew that Fat Joseph would not have run away.

Fat Joseph wasn't a fighter. Had he run into trouble in the field and been separated from Negan's other men? Had the dead gotten him?

"Fuck it. Tell Dwight to send some men to start leading the herd away from the road."

"Yes, Sir."

Negan would order men from this outpost to do the same. By tomorrow, they should be able to make it back to the Sanctuary, and then Negan would deal with Fat Joseph and the other incompetent men he had working for him.

In the meantime, Negan felt like it was a good time to take his frustrations out on someone. Eugene seemed like a sniveling coward, but it would be funny to watch him shaking in fear. Negan doubted that it would be hard to get the man in line. However, maybe Negan could get a better idea of what else Eugene could do.

* * *

After dinner, Mirit put Val to bed and read him a story. Then, she went back to the big house, where she knew Daryl was meeting with Rick. She knocked on the door, and opened the door to the conference room. A lot of her day had been spent in this room today, but she needed to be here for this meeting. As she entered, Mirit saw that some of the others were there as well.

"Hi, Mirit," Maggie said.

"Hi."

"Daryl was just telling us you might know where to find some weapons."

"Yes," Mirit replied.

"Just tell me where they are, and I'll go get them," Daryl said.

"I'd need to show you," Mirit replied.

"Why would you need to show him?" Rick asked.

Mirit blushed. She was a little embarrassed to say it, but she didn't know how to locate the place on a map. She had been taught to get there using landmarks that wouldn't show up on a map. Even if she could tell them the general direction, it would be impossible for them to get to the exact location.

"The directions are a little complicated. . . ."

"Do you have a starting place? Could you write the directions?" Rick asked.

"It would be a lot easier if I could just . . ."

"Let her go with him," Maggie said. Then, she turned toward Daryl and said, "You don't have time to waste tryin' to follow directions off a sheet of paper when she could just take you straight to the weapons."

"That's true," Jesus agreed. "Besides, I can go along, too. Between the two of us, we'll keep her safe."

Daryl did not want to argue with Maggie. If it had been anyone else to speak, he had been ready to reply, but Maggie had lost her husband because of Daryl. Plus, she had a point. Keeping Mirit safe wasn't the priority. They needed those weapons; no one would be safe if they couldn't fight. A war was coming.

Daryl looked at Jesus. Together, they could get the weapons and get back quickly.

Mirit was going to protest, saying that she didn't need them to "keep her safe." She knew how to take care of herself. However, she did not get the chance to speak.

"Jesus, you can't go with them," Maggie interrupted.

"What? Why not?" Jesus asked, surprised.

"What if they get delayed? Who will take the others to meet King Ezekiel?"

Maggie had a point.

Jesus served as a sort of ambassador between the groups of survivors, and he had committed to taking the group from Alexandria to meet the king.

"We'll make it back in time," Daryl said.

"Maybe, but Maggie's right. You might not. I'll go with you," Rosita offered.

"Good," Maggie said. "Then, it's settled."

Daryl looked at Rosita.

Rosita was a formidable fighter. The woman had even taken a shot at Negan herself. She, too, had lost someone she loved to Negan, and she had made it her mission to avenge him.

Daryl knew that no one took the fight against Negan more seriously than Rosita. Whether Jesus or Rosita went along with Daryl and Mirit shouldn't make any difference, but Daryl felt uneasy.

Rosita gave Daryl a determined look and nodded.

"We got this," she mouthed.

Mirit watched the exchange between Rosita and Daryl. She waited for Daryl's reaction.

Daryl nodded, accepting the arrangements. Then, Rick walked up to him and the two left together to talk in private.

Mirit looked at Rosita.

Rosita was clearly a warrior. Perhaps, she had once been a soldier, liked Mirit's uncle. Somehow, she had earned the respect of the group as a fighter.

Mirit hoped to be able to do the same. She walked over to where Rosita was standing.

Rosita turned to her and said, "I'm goin' to get ready to go. Be ready, first thing in the morning."

Then, she left the room before Mirit could respond.

Mirit looked around the room.

Only Maggie and Jesus remained.

Mirit walked over to them.

"I wanted to talk to you in private, for a minute," Maggie said to Jesus.

"Excuse me, would it be okay if I talked to you both for a minute before you go?"

They turned and looked at Mirit.

"Sure," Jesus said, amicably.

"Okay," Maggie said at almost the same time.

"Thank you. Since I will be going on the run in the morning, I was wondering who I could leave Val with. . . ."

"Oh," Maggie said.

"Of course," Jesus replied.

"I can watch him," Maggie offered.

Mirit looked from Maggie to Jesus and back again.

"I'll get him in the morning and take him to Maggie's," Jesus said.

Mirit nodded.

"There is one more thing. He is on a course of antibiotics. He will need to take another one around mid-day."

"Is he sick?" Maggie asked.

"He doesn't look sick," Jesus said.

Mirit did not want to explain that the antibiotics were precautionary. In this world, taking antibiotics to prevent illness seemed to be widely regarded as a luxury.

"They caught it early, and he just needs to finish the course. He could get a lot worse if he doesn't. As long as he takes them, he won't be contagious, and it won't get any worse."

"What does he have?"

Mirit flinched, thinking of the illness Justy had.

"A bacterial infection. Starts as a sore throat, but we caught it early."

Maggie did not feel comfortable with what Mirit was saying. She could tell that Mirit was not being completely honest.

"If it was so early, how do you know it's bacterial?"

"There was a sickness going around. . . ."

"And they gave you antibiotics to keep Val from getting sick?" Jesus asked, surprised.

"Not exactly."

"Mirit, if ya aren't gunna be completely honest with us, how can we trust each other?" Maggie asked.

Mirit felt the truth of Maggie's words in the shame that rose to color her cheeks. She dropped her gaze to the floor for an instant, then raised her eyes to look into Maggie's.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I stole the medicine. My mother was a nurse. I learned a lot from her. I'm pretty sure one of the other people in the Sanctuary had Whooping Cough. Val had interacted with him, and I wanted to keep him from getting sick. I have enough for me and Daryl, too. If we show any signs of illness, we should take them. That sickness is very contagious, and dangerous for young and old people."

Maggie looked concerned. Her hand went instinctively to her belly.

"Maybe it's better if someone else watches Val until we're sure that he's okay."

"He's not contagious, even if he's sick. That's why I started him on the antibiotics, to keep the illness from spreading."

"But you and Daryl haven't started taking them."

"You become contagious when you start coughing, but if you would feel more comfortable, we could start taking them now."

Jesus had been watching silently.

"I think that would be a good idea," he said. "Why were you waiting?"

"Antibiotics are hard to come by. I didn't think people would understand if we took them before getting sick."

"To prevent an outbreak . . ." Maggie interrupted.

"Well, the Sanctuary is different than here."

"You're sure that it was Whooping Cough?" Jesus asked.

"About ninety-nine percent sure. Yes."

"Okay. Then, the antibiotics should be effective. I'll look after Val while we're here. You should be back with Daryl and Rosita before we leave for the Kingdom."

* * *

Daryl sat in darkness on the cot Jesus had set up for him in one of the offices. He had talked to Rick about the plan for tomorrow, and they would have to be back by mid-day. Daryl still felt uneasy about taking Mirit along, but it couldn't be avoided.

Maggie was right. They didn't have time to waste out there.

Every time Daryl thought of Maggie, he felt a pang of guilt and grief about Glenn.

Glenn had been the best of them. He had been a true and dear friend, no, more like a brother, to all of them. His loss had deeply impacted everyone, but for Maggie the grief must be on a whole other level.

Her baby would never know its father. The best they could hope for was to let the baby know about Glenn and how noble and good he was.

A knock at the door interrupted Daryl's thoughts.

"Come in," he said.

Mirit entered the dark room and allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim light entering the window.

"Daryl?"

"Mirit? What's up?"

Mirit sighed.

"I need to talk to you."

She found her way to him and sat down on the cot next to him. Then, she placed a glass of water on the floor in front of them.

Daryl looked at her, barely able to make out her silhouette.

"I didn't get to talk to you earlier, but something happened at the Sanctuary before we left."

Daryl's face showed concern, but Mirit couldn't have made out the expression even if she had been looking at him just then.

However, she did not turn her face toward him as she talked. Instead, Mirit looked at the glass of water.

"Justy was really sick. Remember, Val stayed over to help take care of him."

Had that night really been so recent? Mirit blushed, remembering what else had happened that night.

"This morning, he was coughing a lot. His fever wouldn't go down. I'm pretty sure he had Whooping Cough," she said, forcing her thoughts back to the situation at hand.

Mirit worried about Justy and Jana. She hoped that the antibiotics would help, but she didn't know how much damage the illness had already done to the boy's airway. He had already started coughing intensely, and that cough could last over a hundred days, even after the infection was dead.

Daryl put his arm around her, resting his hand on her shoulder. He could see that she was distraught, and he wanted to comfort her.

Mirit's breath caught in her throat for a few seconds. She had not expected him to be so caring. Still, maybe she shouldn't be surprised because Daryl had always been kind and gentle with her, even recently, when they had met in the hallway and Rick had wanted to ask her all those questions.

Nonetheless, Daryl had been very busy and focused on their planning since they had arrived, and he hadn't given Mirit a response when she'd asked about their relationship.

Mirit forced herself to breathe and continue the story.

"Daryl, I stole some antibiotics off of one of Negan's trucks outside the cafeteria. They were distracted because it was around the time your friend had shot some of Negan's men. I have enough for you, me, and Val."

"What?"

The conversation had taken on a direction Daryl had not expected.

"Whooping Cough is really contagious. I started Val on the antibiotics earlier today because he's just a kid. It would be dangerous for him to get sick. I was waiting to see if we had any symptoms, but we should take them just in case, to prevent getting sick, since we were all exposed."

"I just finished a course when I healed from the gunshot."

"Unfortunately, there's no way to know if that's enough."

"That why you brought the water?"

"Yes. I took mine downstairs before I came up."

Daryl sighed. He put his hand out and received the first dose from Mirit. Couldn't these damn things ever be the size of normal pills? He picked up the water and took the medicine. Then, he placed the empty glass on the floor next to the top of the cot.

Mirit handed him a bottle with his remaining pills.

"How long I gotta take 'em?"

"Five days total."

At least they weren't the kind you had to take for ten days.

"Rosita said I should be ready to go at the crack of dawn," Mirit said, awkwardly.

The moon had shifted in the sky, and more of its light poured in through the window.

Daryl looked at Mirit's moonlit face and saw her smile.

"Yeah. We have to be back by mid-day, and it's pretty far to your old neighborhood."

"I realized when she said it, that I have no idea what 'get ready' means."

Daryl's sense of uneasiness returned with a vengeance.

"It means a lot 'a things. Get the gear together. Gas up the vehicle we're takin'. I know Rosita's takin' care of those, though. I got some provisions together to take with us, and some weapons."

"You got one for me?"

"Yeah."

"Can I see it?"

Daryl reached under the cot and pulled out a backpack. He removed a sharp knife from it.

Mirit took the knife in her hand and rotated it to try holding it in a few different ways.

"Good. I can take them out pretty easily with this."

"The walkers?"

"Yes. . . ."

Mirit hesitated, realizing the implication Daryl was making.

"I know. People will be harder to kill."

"You think you could?"

"I think I'll have to."

It was true. She would have to kill if she wanted to survive. It was a brutal fact of life now.

Mirit handed the knife back to Daryl.

"I'll take it in the morning, when it's time to go. What else should I do to get ready?"

Daryl hesitated.

"Make sure you see Val before you go."

Mirit nodded. She knew there was always a risk when going out on a run, especially with Negan still out there.

"We should get some rest, too," Daryl said.

However, Daryl's having mentioned Val had started Mirit thinking. People made sure to see their loved ones before they left on a run. Part of the reason was to say goodbye before they left. Part of the reason was to make sure they were alright. Mirit would see Val. She would be sure to explain why she was going and to leave him with trustworthy people.

Still, something weighed on Mirit's mind. She knew that something else needed to be resolved before they left in the morning. There was another person Mirit needed to straighten things out with, and they might not get another chance to talk alone soon.

"Daryl, are we okay?"

Daryl was not expecting the question.

"Whataya mean?"

"I know you don't think it's a good idea for me to go with you. . . ."

"Yeah, but you're right. Wouldn't make no sense to go lookin' when you know right where ta go."

Mirit had started in the wrong direction. She had not meant to talk about the run.

"Things are different now, in this place . . . than they were in the Sanctuary . . ."

"Yeah . . ." Daryl replied uncomfortably.

"I'm glad we got out."

"Me, too."

"Do you think we should still be married?"

Daryl was blindsided by the bluntness of the question, even though he had figured it was coming.

"Yes," he heard himself respond unexpectedly.

Mirit's eyes widened and shone in the moonlight. She stared at Daryl, allowing his response to sink in.

He hadn't hesitated.

Impulsively, Mirit hugged him as tightly as she could.

Daryl held her for several minutes. Finally, he couldn't resist anymore.

"Do you?" he asked.

Mirit pulled back from his embrace and looked him in the eyes.

"I don't know how I got so lucky," she said, reminiscent of their conversation the previous night.

Then, she shifted herself onto Daryl's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the lips.

Daryl wrapped his arms around her, caressing her back before raising his right hand to tangle in her hair. He broke the kiss, pulling her head gently back from him. Then, he raised his other hand to move some stray tresses away from her face. Daryl adjusted himself on the cot, causing Mirit to slide closer to him. He moaned slightly when she bumped against him.

Daryl kissed Mirit, ardently.

She shifted to straddle him, deepening their kiss.

Daryl lifted Mirit and laid her onto the cot as he continued kissing her. Then, he pulled back and looked into her moonlit eyes.

The husband and wife drew in shallow breaths and stared at each other for a few seconds. Then, they lost themselves in each other's embrace.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Val awoke before the sun's rays could peek in through the window. He wiped his eyes and yawned, then sat up on his bed.

The sky outside the window slowly lightened as he sat and thought about looking out.

Finally, Val rose and walked over to the window. Outside, no one could be seen. Val looked over at Mirit's empty bed. He wondered where she had gone.

She must have left early because the sun was barely rising.

Val sighed and went to the bathroom. Then, he laid on his bed and waited. Just as his eyes drifted closed, the door opened, and he came fully awake again.

"Where were you!"

"Oh . . . you're awake?"

"Yeah. . . . Where did you go?"

"I went to talk to Daryl. You know, I'm going to go on a run with them."

"Why?"

"We need supplies. Same as when we used to live at the apartment."

"There are a lot of people . . ."

"And we _all_ have to do our part."

"Mirit, is life ever going to be _normal_ again?"

"You mean like it was before . . . No."

"But what if the monsters go away?"

"That's not gunna happen."

"Why?"

"As long as people live, they will die. So, the monsters will always be there."

"They are really dead people?"

"Yes. The dead. You've seen them. You know. So why are you asking?"

"I'm scared. I had a dream about Uncle George and Jake."

"What happened?"

"They were alive. Then, they were dead again, but like the other dead ones. You said they aren't like that. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. They are really dead. They won't ever become monsters."

"How do you know?"

"There's a way to stop it . . . ."

The thought hit Mirit before Val verbalized it.

"Then, there is a way to stop the monsters from existing. Maybe it _could_ go back . . ."

"Val, you're a little too young to understand. You're right. Maybe it could go back if we could stop everyone who died from turning, but it isn't possible."

Val felt annoyed by the comment about his being too young to understand. He felt like he could understand if she would give him the chance.

"Why?"

Mirit sighed.

"It just isn't."

"But Jake and Uncle George . . ."

"Are not monsters, and never will be."

Val nodded and sighed. He had not seen Uncle George or Jake die. He had not seen their mother die. Val had been told about their deaths by Mirit, and she would not tell him how they died or why she was so sure that they would not turn into monsters. Val was glad he had not dreamt of his mother. Secretly, he held hope in his heart that Mirit had been mistaken about the deaths of their family. He liked to imagine that one day they would come back alive.

"Val, I know it's hard for you to understand what's been happening. Hell, I'm an adult, and it confuses me sometimes. The world is crazy now, and it's hard to keep adapting."

"Adapting?"

"Changing to fit in. Adjusting to the changes."

"Oh."

"You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah."

"But in this world, things are so crazy. We can't predict what will happen each day. All we can do is try our best to keep surviving."

Val started to feel uneasy.

Mirit had awoken that morning thinking about what Daryl had said. When she had gone on runs as part of the group from the apartment, she had never taken into account how dangerous it could be. Her uncle had tried to explain it to her, but he had also kept her pretty sheltered.

"Mirit, promise you'll come back," Val said suddenly.

"Val . . . I don't know . . ."

"Then, you can't go!"

Val grabbed onto Mirit and held her with a force she did not expect. He buried his face in her sweatshirt, his body shaking.

Mirit could tell that Val had started to cry by the trembling in his voice.

"Val . . ."

"I won't let you go!"

"It's okay. I promise. I will come back, Val. I'll do whatever I have to, but I will come back."

Mirit said the words with a conviction she did not actually feel, but she had to force herself to mean them. There were many unknowns yet to face, and the dead were the least of the potential dangers they could come across. Negan would surely have discovered their absence, and he would come after them. Maybe any sense of safety they felt was just a temporary illusion, like a magic trick. Any minute, they could be back at the Sanctuary or dead.

Mirit shook her head to clear it. She tried to pry Val's arms loose, but they held her waist like a vice grip. Mirit bent down on her knees and hugged her brother.

"If we are going to stay alive and live in a nice place like this, I have to go. Do you understand? We have to fight Negan. We have to work together, and we don't have a lot of time, Val."

Val looked into Mirit's eyes. Tears made his sister's image blur before him.

"Can't we just run away?"

Mirit was startled to hear the suggestion that Carl had given not too long before.

"No."

"Why?" Val asked in a voice overflowing with desperation.

"Because we would never be able to stop running. If we did, we'd have to face the same fight. Except, maybe then, we wouldn't have anyone else to fight with us on our side. Now, we can all stand together. It's our best chance."

Val heard the truth in what Mirit said.

"Can I go with you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"You're not ready. You need to learn how to defend yourself."

Val was relieved that Mirit didn't say he was too young.

"Will you teach me when you come back?"

"Yes."

Val let go of Mirit and stepped back.

Mirit kissed his cheek and stood.

Val wiped his cheek with his sleeve.

Mirit smiled.

"Jesus will be by later to check on you. Don't forget to take your medicine."

"Okay."

* * *

Mirit cut a clear vinyl shower curtain into strips and sewed the strips to the outside a canvas jacket, focusing on layering the vinyl around the sleeves.

Once she finished, she put on the jacket. It should afford her some protection from the walkers. Both canvas and vinyl would be hard to bite through, and the vinyl would make Mirit hard to grip. To maximize this effect, Mirit poured a little baby oil onto the vinyl and spread it with her hands.

"There you are," Jesus said as he walked into the room. "Val said that you came to the house to look for something."

"Yes, and I found what I needed. Except a hat. I still need a hat."

Jesus looked at the jacket Mirit was wearing.

"Did you make that?"

"Yes."

"I found some baby oil. Maybe Maggie will be able to use it," Mirit said, holding up the bottle.

"Yeah. . . . Would it be okay if I talked to you for a few minutes?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Outside?" Jesus said, and motioned for Mirit to follow him.

Mirit rose to go with him.

"You can leave the baby oil there. I can get it to Maggie later."

Mirit put the baby oil on a side table on the way out of the office and followed Jesus outside of the house. They walked toward the back of the house.

"So, what's going on?" Mirit asked.

"I noticed that you made yourself a kind of armor."

"Yeah. We used to try to modify our clothes to be more protective where I'm from. Not everyone can be a ninja master," Mirit said and smiled.

"Or a Samurai," Jesus replied, smiling back.

Mirit laughed.

"Are you a Samurai?"

"No. I was kidding."

"I know. I was, too."

"How well can you defend yourself?"

"You're worried I can't fight."

"A little."

"I know how to fight walkers. They are easy. They always reach with their hands and bite with their teeth. Everything they do is to try to eat you. That's why I try to make myself slippery and wear thick clothes," Mirit said, motioning to the adjustments she'd made to the jacket. "I need a hat, too. Even though you are good at fighting with long, loose hair, if they get too close and grab mine, it would be very dangerous."

Jesus nodded.

"I'm a walker. Defend yourself."

He lunged at Mirit like a dead one, all upper body and face.

Mirit dodged. She pulled her knife from the makeshift sheath she had tied at her waist.

Jesus kept coming at her, pretending to be a walker.

She stepped to the side, avoiding another lung and tapped Jesus's temple gently with the hilt of her knife.

Jesus straightened.

"I could also go through the eye. Whatever angle happens to be best."

"Good. Now, how do you handle a living opponent?"

Mirit put the knife back into the holster of rags she had made and looked into Jesus's eyes.

"You want to spar with me?" she asked, hesitantly.

Jesus nodded.

"I'll go slow. Just show me what you'd do."

He reached for her, and Mirit dodged. Jesus grabbed Mirit's wrist with his other hand.

Instinctively, Mirit turned her body in the direction of the captured arm. She mirrored Jesus's position and broke the grip. Then, she grabbed his arm and pulled it toward her, stepping forward to push Jesus into a roll.

Jesus came up from the roll and faced Mirit. He nodded. Again, he charged toward her and grabbed her wrist.

Mirit kicked Jesus and pulled back his thumb at the same time. She did not put force behind either of the two movements.

"Not too bad."

"A living person can feel pain, so that helps a little. But a living person can also fight back and think, and that makes it harder."

"Right," Jesus said.

Then, he began to spar with Mirit. Jesus leveled a series of blows at her, some punches and kicks in succession. Mirit dodged and blocked the blows as best she could, but she struggled to keep up with Jesus and found herself staggering when he landed a blow to her side. Jesus caught her as she slipped back.

"You're so fast!"

"It takes practice."

Mirit looked dejected.

"There's no time to practice," she said.

"Not now, but when you get back I can help you train," Jesus offered.

It was a vote of confidence from Jesus. He believed that Mirit would make it back, and that she could improve her fighting skills.

"Thanks," Mirit said, and shook Jesus's hand.

"I think I know someone with an extra cap. You want it?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"No problem."

* * *

The sun shone brightly through the window, but Negan had become aware of something else before opening his eyes to the blinding sunshine. His radio was making static noises, and someone was calling for him to come in. Negan groaned and grabbed the radio.

"Yeah?"

Suddenly, there was silence on the other end.

"Yeah?" he repeated, annoyed.

"Sir, we found Fat Joey."

"Put the Sonofabitch on."

Again, there was an awkward pause.

Negan waited, annoyed.

"He's dead," came the response, finally.

It figured. Fat Joseph wasn't the type to go missing. Negan had been prepared for the news.

"Sir?"

"Yeah."

"He was killed."

"The dead?"

Negan was starting to get pissed off at the constant hesitation on the other end of the communication.

"Do we have a weak signal or something?"

"No, Sir."

"Then tell me what the fuck is going on. Why do you keep shutting up?"

The man on the other end of the line did not want to be the one to tell Negan the news, but he had been ordered to report their findings. He just hoped that Negan wouldn't shoot the messenger later. At least, Negan was very far away right now. Chuck swallowed and decided to bite the bullet.

"Yes, Sir. Daryl escaped. It looks like he may have killed Fat Joseph."

Negan shot out of bed screaming.

"WHAT!"

The litany of swear words and obscenities that spouted from Negan's mouth poured through the radio and drowned Chuck in a sea of anxiety. Chuck shook uncontrollably at the clear rage and disbelief in Negan's voice.

Finally, Negan regained control enough to say one more thing before signing off the radio.

"I'm on my way back," he said.

No matter what was happening outside on the road, Negan would not be delayed any further from getting back to the Sanctuary. He wanted to talk to Dwight.

* * *

Mirit, Rosita, and Daryl got into a car and were driving toward Mirit's old home. Rosita had insisted on driving, and Daryl had taken shotgun. Mirit sat alone in the back seat behind Daryl. She looked out the window and saw a handful of dead lumbering along by the forest of trees several hundred feet from the road.

No one spoke for the first half hour of the journey. Finally, Rosita broke the silence.

"Not fallin' asleep back there are ya?"

"No."

"We're gettin' close to the turn off ya marked on the map," Daryl said.

"Yes, it's about three miles up on the right," Mirit said, remembering.

Daryl turned to look back at Mirit and smiled.

"Don't start," Mirit said, a little embarrassed.

When Mirit had met the pair by the car to leave on the run, Daryl had covered his mouth and pretended to cough in order to hide his laughter.

Rosita had made a disgusted face and shook her head.

Mirit had been confused by their reaction until Daryl had whispered to her.

"What? Did you bring a costume from the Sanctuary? Who're you s'posed to be? Lil' MC?"

Mirit had blushed in embarrassment, realizing how she looked to him. She wore a canvas jacket with stripes of clear vinyl running down the length of the sleeves and also down the front and back of the jacket. She also wore a backwards cap. The visor had made it hard to see, and her hair tucked better into the cap this way.

Daryl bit his lip.

Mirit looked like she'd walked straight out of a 90's rap video.

"After this turn?" Rosita asked, slightly annoyed.

"We go straight until we hit the main road. Then take a left. About ten miles down that road is my old town."

"And the turnoff is half a mile before that?" Daryl asked.

"Yes. It'll be a right turn onto a dirt road. It used to be a walking trail."

"It's probably overgrown now," Daryl said. "Go slow when we get close. I should still be able to spot it."

Rosita nodded, but didn't say anything. She did not entirely trust Mirit, and seeing her dressed like a clown didn't do anything to boost Rosita's confidence in her. How much protection would the ridiculous outfit really provide? Again, Rosita shook her head.

Mirit looked at Rosita's eyes in the rear-view mirror and saw the disapproval there. Soon, Mirit would prove her worth to the woman. They just had to find the weapons and get them back to the Hilltop.


End file.
